A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Epidural Analgesia Onset Time and Adverse Reactions During Labor With Different Dose Combinations of Bupivacaine and Sufentanil.

Objectives: The purpose was to compare the effects of 3 different dose combinations of bupivacaine and sufentanil on the onset of analgesia and the occurrence of side effects.

Materials And Methods: One hundred sixty-nine pregnant women were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the B1S5 group received 0.1% bupivacaine+5 μg sufentanil in 15 mL; the B125S5 group received 0.125% bupivacaine+5 μg sufentanil in 15 mL; and the B1S10 group received 0.1% bupivacaine+10 μg sufentanil in 15 mL. The primary outcome was the analgesic onset time, and the secondary outcomes were mode of delivery, patient satisfaction, maternal and neonatal side effects (pruritus, hypotension, sedation, motor block, decreased fetal heart rate, fever, and interference with breastfeeding).

Results: The median (inter-quartile range) time to achieve effective analgesia was significantly faster in the B125S5 group than in the B1S5 group (10 [11-14 {4-30}] min vs. 15 [17-20 {5-30}] min, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the analgesia onset time between the B1S10 and B125S5 groups (10 [11-14 {4-30}] min vs. 12 [13-15 {3-30}] min, P=0.202). Pruritus, hypotension, motor block, maternal satisfaction, delivery mode, decreased fetal heart rate, total bupivacaine dose and breastfeeding scores were not significantly different among the 3 groups except the sufentanil dosage and incidence of mild drowsiness and fever (the B1S10 group had significantly higher fever than the other groups).

Discussion: The B125S5 combination may be superior to the B1S5 and B1S10 combinations as an initial dose for epidural analgesia to achieve rapid effective analgesia with minimal side effects.