Abstract:Objective To evaluate the effect of epidural-related maternal fever on maternal inflammatory response and maternal and infant outcomes.Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 150 women who received epidural analgesia during labor in our hospital from April 2021 to March 2022. The pregnant women were divided into control group (120 cases) and fever group (30 cases) according to whether fever occurred after the analgesia. The general clinical data, uterine contraction under the condition of analgesia during labor, inflammatory factors, stress response and perinatal maternal and infant outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the age of pregnant women, gestational weeks, BMI, the number of pregnancy, the number of delivery, the body temperature before analgesia, and the duration of analgesia (P > 0.05). The interval and duration of uterine contraction when the cervix dilated 2 cm were not different between the two groups (P > 0.05), while they were longer in fever group than those in control group when the cervix dilated 4 cm and opened to the full dilatation (P < 0.05). The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), cortisol (Cor), angiotensin II (Ang II) and norepinephrine (NE) were not different between the two groups when the cervix dilated 2 cm (P > 0.05), while they were higher in fever group than those in control group when the cervix opened to the full dilatation (P < 0.05). The proportions of antibiotic use, fetal distress and conversion to cesarean section in the fever group were higher than those in the control group, where the proportion of spontaneous delivery was lower in the fever group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The overall incidence of neonatal complications was higher in the fever group than that in the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusions Epidural-related maternal fever does not result in weakening of uterine contraction, but it may aggravate the maternal inflammatory response, reduce the rate of spontaneous delivery, and increase the use of antibiotics and the risk of neonatal complications.