BackgroundThis study compared the administration of 0.1% ropivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil with that of 0.1% bupivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil via patient-controlled epidural analgesia route during labor.MethodsTwo hundred healthy pregnant women at term with a single fetus with a vertex fetal presentation were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either 0.1% ropivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil or 0.1% bupivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil using a patient-controlled epidural analgesia pump (5-ml bolus dose, 10-min locked-out period, no basal infusion). Pain score on a visual analog scale, Bromage score (0–3), level of sensory block, patient-controlled epidural analgesia ratio, drug use, supplemental boluses, and side effects were recorded at 30 min and then hourly. Mode of delivery, duration of first and second stages of labor, umbilical cord pH, Apgar scores of the newborn, and a measure of maternal satisfaction were recorded after delivery.ResultsNo differences were seen between the two groups for pain scores on a visual analog scale during labor, volume of anesthetic solution used, mode of delivery, or side effects. Motor block during the first stage of labor was significantly less in the ropivacaine group than in the bupivacaine group (no motor block in 97.8 of patientsvs.88.3%, respectively;P< 0.01). Duration of the second stage of labor was shorter in the ropivacaine group (1.3 ± 1.0vs.1.5 ± 1.2 h [mean ± SD];P< 0.05). Maternal satisfaction was greater in the bupivacaine group (91 ± 13 mm for contraction, 89 ± 19 mm for delivery on a visual scale: 0 = not satisfied at all, 100 = fully satisfied) than in the ropivacaine group (84 ± 21 and 80 ± 25 mm;P< 0.0001). Patients in the ropivacaine group requested more supplemental boluses to achieve analgesia during the second stage of labor than those in the bupivacaine group (29.7vs.19.8%, respectively, requested one or more supplemental boluses;P< 0.05).ConclusionsDelivered as patient-controlled epidural analgesia, 0.1% ropivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil produce less motor block but are clinically less potent than 0.1% bupivacaine and 0.5 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil.