JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (11) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Capogna, G. Articles by Columb, M. O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Capogna, G. Articles by Columb, M. O. Related Collections Regional Anesthesia Pharmacology Obstetrics

---

OBSTETRIC ANESTHESIA

Minimum Analgesic Doses of Fentanyl and Sufentanil for Epidural Analgesia in the First Stage of Labor

Giorgio Capogna, MD^*, Michela Camorcia, MD^*, and Malachy O. Columb

*Department of Anesthesia, Città di Roma Hospital, Rome, Italy; and Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, South Manchester University Hospital, Wythenshawe, Manchester, United Kingdom

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Giorgio Capogna, Department of Anesthesia, Casa di Cura Città di Roma, V. Maidalchini, 20, 00152 Roma, Italy. Address e-mail to g.capogna{at}pronet.it

In this study, we sought to determine the minimum analgesic doses and relative potencies of fentanyl and sufentanil when they are used as the sole epidural analgesic during the first stage of labor. Nulliparous parturients (n = 66) in spontaneous labor at term gestation and requesting epidural analgesia were enrolled into this prospective, double-blinded, randomized, sequential-allocation study. Each woman received fentanyl or sufentanil diluted with 0.9% wt/vol saline to a volume of 10 mL. The initial dose was arbitrarily chosen to be 125 µg for fentanyl and 25 µg for sufentanil, with subsequent doses being determined by the response of the previous patient (testing interval, 5 µg for fentanyl and 1 µg for sufentanil). Efficacy was accepted if the visual analog score decreased to 10 mm on a 100-mm scale within 30 min. The minimum analgesic dose or median effective dose was 21.1 µg (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.2–21.9 µg) for sufentanil and 124.2 µg (95% CI, 118.1–130.6 µg) for fentanyl (P < 0.0001). The sufentanil/fentanyl potency ratio was 5.9 (95% CI, 5.6–6.3). In conclusion, we have established the equivalent doses and relative potencies of fentanyl and sufentanil for epidural analgesia in the first stage of labor.

IMPLICATIONS: This study determined the minimum analgesic doses of fentanyl and sufentanil for epidural anesthesia in the first stage of labor. The sufentanil/fentanyl potency ratio was 5.9. This ratio may be used to establish the equivalent doses for fentanyl and sufentanil for epidural analgesia in labor.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. A. McLeod, B. Munishankar, and M. O. Columb An isobolographic analysis of diamorphine and levobupivacaine for epidural analgesia in early labour Br. J. Anaesth., April 1, 2007; 98(4): 497 - 502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Roelants, V. Mercier-Fuzier, and P. M. Lavand'homme The Effect of a Lidocaine Test Dose on Analgesia and Mobility After an Epidural Combination of Neostigmine and Sufentanil in Early Labor Anesth. Analg., December 1, 2006; 103(6): 1534 - 1539. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999