Abstract:Objective To observe the effects of epidural labor analgesia on uterine artery and fetal umbilical artery blood flow indices in women with preeclampsia.Methods A total of 60 primiparous full-term singleton pregnant women requiring labor analgesia were selected, including 30 cases with preeclampsia and 30 cases without complications. All women received continuous epidural labor analgesia. During uterine contraction intervals, uterine artery and fetal umbilical artery resistance indices (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio were recorded in all women before analgesia (T0), 30 minutes after analgesia (T1), and 90 minutes after analgesia (T2). Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, mean arterial pressure (MAP), fetal heart rate, and Apgar scores of newborns were also recorded at these time points.Results Before the implementation of labor analgesia, the uterine artery blood flow resistance indices RI, PI, and S/D ratio in the preeclampsia group were higher than those in the normal group (P<0.05). After the implementation of labor analgesia, there was no statistically significant difference in uterine artery resistance indices between the two groups (P>0.05). The resistance indices of umbilical artery in both groups showed no statistically significant difference before and after labor analgesia (P>0.05). The resistance indices of uterine artery and umbilical artery, as well as MAP in the normal group, showed no statistically significant difference before and after labor analgesia (P>0.05). The resistance indices of uterine artery and MAP in the preeclampsia group significantly decreased after labor analgesia (P<0.05), while the resistance indices of umbilical artery showed no statistically significant difference compared with those before labor analgesia (P>0.05).Conclusion Effective epidural labor analgesia helps control blood pressure in women with preeclampsia, improves fetal placental circulation, enhances fetal oxygen supply, and may reduce the risk of vaginal delivery in women with preeclampsia.