Objective: Epidural low concentration local anesthetics combined with opioids are widely used in labor analgesia. However, whether epidural low concentration local anesthetics decrease the degree of sympathetic block is not clear. Methods: Forty nulliparous parturients admitted for spontaneous vaginal delivery were enrolled and randomly assigned into group A and B. Epidural labor analgesia was initiated with 15 ml 0.07 % ropivacaine with 50 g fentanyl for group A parturients and 15 ml of 0.25 % ropivacaine for group B parturients followed by a 12 ml/hr infusion of 0.07% ropivacaine plus 2 g/ml fentanyl. Skin temperature and skin blood flow of the hand and foot were measured before and 30 minutes after the beginning of epidural analgesia by the temperature probe and laser-Doppler flowmetry. Results: Skin temperature of the foot increased more in group B parturients 30 min after epidural analgesia than group A parturients (Group A: +0.5 1.3 C; Group B: +3.5 2.4 C; p < 0.001). Skin blood flow of the foot also significantly increased in group B parturients (Group A: +9 62%; Group B: +195 318%; p = 0.01). On the contrary, skin temperature and blood flow of the hand slightly decreased in group B parturients but slightly increased in group A parturients (p = 0.01 and 0.09, respectively). Conclusions: Epidural 15 ml 0.07% ropivacaine plus 50μg fentanyl for labor analgesia produced less sympathetic block and also provided good quality of analgesia at the beginning of labor.
本站僅提供期刊文獻檢索。
