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Application of 0.15% ropivacaine in labor analgesia for primiparous women with severe pain


Sen Lu, Xiangbing Shui, Jianxin Zhang


Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou BenQ Medical Center, The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215010, Jiangsu Province, China.


Address correspondence to: Sen Lu, Department of Anesthesiology, Suzhou BenQ Medical Center, The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 181 Zhuyuan Road, Suzhou 215010, Jiangsu Province, China. E-mail: Sen.Lu@benqmedicalcenter.com.


Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Suzhou BenQ Medical Center, The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (SZMJ2209). The authors would like to thank all the guest editors and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.61189/924159jtzdps


Received July 7, 2025; Accepted December 4, 2025; Published December 31, 2025


Highlights

● Explored the delivery analgesia mode for the special population of first-time mothers with severe pain. 

● Explored the effectiveness and safety of high-concentration ropivacaine in epidural labor analgesia. 

● Focused on providing humanistic care for the emotional well-being of postpartum women, extending beyond mere pain relief.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the efficacy and adverse reactions between 0.15% ropivacaine combined with sufentanil and 0.1% ropivacaine combined with sufentanil for labor analgesia in primiparous women with severe pain. Method: 195 full-term singleton primiparous women with severe pain (visual pain assessment [VAS] ≥6) were randomly allocated to two epidural analgesia groups using different drug formulations. One group received 0.1%  ropivacaine + 0.3 μg/mL sufentanil (control group, n=98). The other group was treated with 0.15% ropivacaine and 0.3 μg/mL sufentanil (experiment group, n=97). The following parameters were recorded: analgesia onset time; maximum VAS scores before analgesia, at 20 min after epidural administration, and during labor; number of analgesic pump presses; number of rescue analgesia events; total analgesic drug consumption; modified Bromage score; maternal satisfaction; duration of labor stages; mode of delivery; neonatal Apgar scores at 1 min and 5 min; and incidence of adverse reactions during labor analgesia, such as skin itching, nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, and fever. Result: The onset time of analgesia in the experimental group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). While the maximum VAS scores in both groups were significantly lower at 20 minutes post-epidural administration and during labor than before delivery analgesia (P<0.05), no statistically  significant inter-group differences were observed in VAS scores or in the number of pump compressions, rescue analgesia events, dosage of anesthetic drugs, modified Bromage score, or satisfaction ratings. Similarly, no significant differences were found between the two groups in the duration of labor, mode of delivery, and Apgar scores of newborns at 1and 5 minutes, or the incidence of pruritus, nausea/vomiting, urinary retention, or intrapartum fever. Conclusion: For primiparous women with severe labor pain, initial use of 0.15% ropivacaine combined with sufentanil significantly shortens the onset time, provides more comprehensive analgesic effects, achieves higher satisfaction, and does not increase short-term adverse reactions (including motor block) compared to the conventional 0.1% concentration regimen.

Keywords: Labor analgesia, ropivacaine, severe labor pain, primipara

Cite

Lu S, Shui XB, Zhang JX. Application of 0.15% ropivacaine in labor analgesia for primiparous women with severe pain. Perioper Precis Med. 2025 Dec; 3 (4): 200-206. doi: 10.61189/924159jtzdps

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