• Wai-Keung Lee, Chun-Hsuan Li, Lim-Shen Lee, Chung-Fai Au, Kwong-Leung Yu, and Chao-Shun Tang.
• Department of Anesthesia, Tainan Municipal Hospital, 670, Chung Te Road, Tainan City, 701, R.O.C. wklee@ms14.hinet.net
• Acta Anaesthesiol. Sin. 2003 Mar 1;41(1):21-5.

BackgroundRopivacaine is the latest long-acting amide local anesthetic. As it is less cardiovasculotoxic and neurotoxic than bupivacaine it is an attractive anesthetic agent used in clinical anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. This study was undertaken to seek for a suitable dosage of ropivacaine in postoperative analgesia for Taiwanese patients whose average physicality is not entirely compatible with the pharmacopeially recommended dosage for western people.MethodsFor assessment of epidural ropivacaine for postoperative analgesia 105 adult patients were enrolled and randomly allotted to three groups. Patients in Group A were given epidurally 0.15% ropivacaine, while those in Group B and Group C were given 0.125% and 0.10% ropivacaine respectively. Pain was evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS) and modified Bromage scale, and adverse effects were recorded at the designated points of time during the postoperative 24-hour period.ResultsThe demographic profiles were comparable among three groups. In VAS score, Group A (3.20 +/- 0.47) and B (3.11 +/- 0.41) did not differ much, while Group C (3.97 +/- 0.71) the score was signally higher than Group A and Group B (P < 0.05). Adverse effects, such as paraesthesia, nausea and urinary retention were observed more in Group A.ConclusionsFrom the results of this study, we are of the opinion that 0.125% ropivacaine could provide a postoperative analgesia in Taiwanese patients to their satisfaction with less adverse effects.

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