Prediction of the healing efficiency of episiotomy wounds using hydrogel dressings with lidocaine
Authors: Liashko M.B. , Govsieiev D.O. 
Published: April 2024

The objective: to study the factors affecting the healing process of an episiotomy wound and the effectiveness of using hydrogel dressings with lidocaine for its healing.Materials and methods. The prospective randomized study includes the analysis of anamnestic data from the medical cards of 123 primiparous women with episiotomy wounds who gave birth in the Kyiv City Maternity Hospital No. 5 during 2021–2022. The women were divided into two groups: a comparison group – 63 patients who received standard treatment, and a research group – 60 patients who additionally used hydrogel dressings with lidocaine on the wound.The healing of episiotomy wounds was evaluated according to the REEDA scale. Factors that may influence episiotomy wound healing were studied in patients of both groups: anthropometric indicators (age, height, body mass index), interventions during childbirth, and indicators of obstetric and gynecological history (term of gestation, volume of blood loss during childbirth, body weight of the newborn, etc.). Statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher, Mann–Whitney, Student and chi-square tests of the statistical package EZR v. 1.54.Results. Age (p=0.689) and body mass index (p=0.974) of patients in both groups did not show statistically significant differences. The duration of the second period of labor on average was 72 min (57.6–86.4) in the comparison group versus 43.2 min (28.8–57.6) in the research group with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the term of delivery, the volume of blood loss, the weight of the newborn, the risk of pregnancy loss, the frequency of labor induction, the weakness of labor activity, manual revision of the uterine cavity, and vacuum extraction of the fetus. The frequency of use of different types of anesthesia during childbirth also did not differ (p=0.396).REEDA scale assessment revealed a reduced risk of high sum scores in the research group (odds ratio (OR) = 0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07–0.38), that supports the efficacy of hydrogel dressings with lidocaine. Analysis of the duration of the second labor period and gestational term also revealed an association with the risk of a high sum of points on the REEDA scale (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02–1.45 per 0.01 days; OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.16–2.35 per week of pregnancy).A multivariate model which included research group, body mass index, duration of the second labor period, gestational term confirmed a reduced risk according to the REEDA scale in this group (OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.08–0.47). The four-factor model had a high accuracy (AUC = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.73–0.88), indicating a strong relationship between the selected factors and the risk of complications after episiotomy.Conclusions. The use of hydrogel dressings with lidocaine and taking into account some aspects of childbirth, namely, the duration of childbirth and gestational period, can contribute to the improvement of the course of healing of episiotomy wounds. Such a comprehensive approach supports the effectiveness and significance of using hydrogel dressings with lidocaine in the practice of modern obstetrics to improve the results of treatment of patients with an episiotomy wound.In the future, studies on the effectiveness of using hydrogel dressings for the treatment of episiotomy wounds are necessary.