title: Continuous epidural infusion of alfentanil and bupivacaine for labor and delivery.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare alfentanil and fentanyl used in combination with bupivacaine in a continuous infusion epidural technique during labor and delivery. Thirty nine ASA I parturients had epidural analgesia induced with 0.25% bupivacaine and were then assigned in a randomized double-blind fashion to receive a continuous infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine containing either 5 micro/ml of alfentanil or 2 micro/ml of fentanyl at a rate of 10 ml/h. Analgesia assessed by visual analog scores was significantly better during both stage I and stage II of labor in the group receiving alfentanil. No significant maternal or neonatal side-effects were demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Datta