Labour Epidural Analgesia: A Randomised Double Blind Comparative Study of 0.1% Levobupivacaine with Fentanyl vs. 0.1% Ropivacaine with Fentanyl

Introduction: Levobupivacaine and ropivacaine are suitable alternatives to bupivacaine for labour analgesia as they produce less motor blockade, decreased incidence of instrumental deliveries and less toxicity. Aim: To study the efficacy of epidural levobupivacaine and ropivacaine in intermittent doses for labour analgesia. Materials and Methods: In the present prospective, randomised, double blind study, 60 parturients consenting for labour epidural analgesia using intermittent top-up technique were randomly allocated to receive either levobupivacaine 0.1% with Fentanyl 2 mcg/mL (LF) or ropivacaine 0.1% with Fentanyl 2 mcg/mL (RF). Haemodynamic parameters, sedation score, onset and quality of analgesia, sensory and motor blockade, local anaesthetic requirement, side effects, duration of labour, mode of delivery, neonatal outcome and maternal satisfaction were compared between groups. Statistical analysis included students unpaired t-test, chi-square test, Fischer’s-exact test, Mann-Whitney U-test as appropriate with p