A comparitive study of 0.1% ropivacaine with fentanyl versus 0.125% bupivacaine with fentanyl in epidural labour analgesia

Background: Analgesic adequacy during labor along with the avoidance of adverse effects is vital for obstetric conditions. Painful labor can have negative impacts on maternal and fetal physiology. Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of ropivacaine with fentanyl and bupivacaine with fentanyl in epidural labour analgesia. Methodology: Seventy ASA I&II parturients with singleton pregnancies who presented in active labour with cervical dilatation of 3-5cm were studied in a prospective, randomized control manner. Patients were randomized into Group A (ropivacaine)-35 patients and Group B (bupivacaine) - 35 patients. Epidural analgesia was performed and various parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, pain score) and complications if any were recorded every 15 minutes in the 1st hour, every 30 minutes in the 2nd hour and every hour later on. Results: The fluctuations in pain were not clinically or statistically significant between the two study groups. The number of patients who required bolus were 7(20%) in both the groups. The spontaneous deliveries were more, 62.9% in Group-A as compared to 54.3% in Group-B. The instrumental delivery rates were less, 25.7% in Group-A as compared to 37.1% in Group-B