Mode of delivery following labor epidural analgesia: influence of ropivacaine and bupivacaine.

Epidural analgesia is a popular and effective method for pain relief during labor. Bupivacaine is a commonly used local anesthetic for labor epidural analgesia. Ropivacaine is an amino acid local anesthetic that is structurally related to bupivacaine with a similar potency and duration, but ropivacaine has less cardiac toxicity than bupivacaine and produces less motor blockade. These properties make ropivacaine a desirable local anesthetic agent for obstetrical analgesia. The purpose of the present study was to compare the cesarean section and instrumental delivery rates for patients receiving labor epidural analgesia using bupivacaine and ropivacaine. The medical records of 500 consecutive patients receiving bupivacaine for labor epidural analgesia were reviewed. After a 3-month familiarization period for ropivacaine, the records of 500 consecutive patients receiving ropivacaine for labor epidural analgesia similarly were reviewed. The groups did not differ demographically. The instrumental delivery rate was 14.2% for the bupivacaine group and 9.8% for the ropivacaine group. The cesarean section rate was 14% for the bupivacaine group and 10.2% for the ropivacaine group. At our facility, the use of ropivacaine decreased both cesarean section and instrumental delivery rates when compared with bupivacaine in the population studied.