Abstract
In quest of the ever elusive "ideal" pre-delivery analgesic, this aeries was undertaken to evaluate Niaentil (di-alpha-l,3,dimethyl-4 phenyl-4 propionoxy-piperidine hydrochloride) as an obstetric analgesic. | Stander, in Williams Obstetrics textbook (1), described the ideal analgesic agent as one that should be applicable at any time during every type of labor. It should not interfere with the normal mechanism of labor, and the number, duration, and quality of uterine contractions should be unaltered. The patient should not be rendered unconscious as her co-operation is frequently desirable. The method must be, above all else, absolutely safe to both mother and infant. This definition has never been improved upon, nor has the ideal analgesic described been found. As always, the twofold problem and aim of every obstetrician is to deliver a healthy infant of a mother who is relatively free of pain, ante-, intra- and post-partum, and whose general health will not be impaired by analgesic and/or anesthetic agents used. No one analgesic or combination of agents thus far available has proved ideal from the standpoint of being an effective analgesic for the mother without some risk to the mother and/or the infant.