title: The effects of the addition of sufentanil to 0.125% bupivacaine on the quality of analgesia during labor and on the incidence of instrumental deliveries.
abstract: In a double-blinded, randomized, prospective multi-center study of 695 women, we investigated whether epidural injection of sufentanil added to 0.125% bupivacaine with epinephrine (1:800,000) reduces the total amount of local anesthetic required, resulting in less motor blockade and reduced incidence of instrumental deliveries, and improves the quality of analgesia provided by this low concentration of local anesthetic without jeopardizing the safety of the baby. In addition, other potential benefits of sufentanil (such as decrease in the incidence of shivering) and side effects were examined. It was found that adding incremental doses of 10 micrograms sufentanil up to a maximum of 30 micrograms reduced the incidence of instrumental deliveries from 36 to 24% (P less than 0.01) and significantly improved quality and duration of analgesia without depressing the neurobehavioral status of the baby. No other benefits from adding sufentanil were found. The only side effect that occurred more frequently after sufentanil was pruritus. We conclude that epidural injection of 10-30 micrograms sufentanil added to 0.125% bupivacaine with epinephrine (1:800,000) improved the quality of analgesia during labor and reduced the incidence of instrumental deliveries without jeopardizing the safety of the baby.
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Vertommen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vandermeulen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Aken
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vaes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soetens
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Steenberge
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mourisse
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willaert
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noorduin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Devlieger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D016362:Analgesia, Obstetrical; D002045:Bupivacaine; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005113:Extraction, Obstetrical; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017409:Sufentanil
chemical_list: D017409:Sufentanil; D005283:Fentanyl; D002045:Bupivacaine