• Shin-Yan Chen, Feng-Lin Liu, Yih-Giun Cherng, Shou-Zen Fan, Barbara L Leighton, Hung-Chi Chang, and Li-Kuei Chen.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 10361, Taiwan.
• Biomed Res Int. 2014 Jan 1;2014:965152.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to compare the analgesic properties of levobupivacaine with or without fentanyl for patient-controlled epidural analgesia after Cesarean section in a randomized, double-blinded study.MethodsWe enrolled American Society of Anesthesiologists class I/II, full-term pregnant women at National Taiwan University Hospital who received patient-controlled epidural analgesia after Cesarean section between 2009 and 2010. Eighty women were randomly assigned into two groups. In group A, the 40 subjects received drug solutions made of 0.6 mg/ml levobupivacaine plus 2 mcg/ml fentanyl, and in group B the 40 subjects received 1 mg/ml levobupivacaine. Maintenance was self-administered boluses and a continuous background infusion.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the resting and dynamic pain scales and total volume of drug used between the two groups. Patient satisfaction was good in both groups.ConclusionOur study showed that pure epidural levobupivacaine can provide comparative analgesic properties to the levobupivacaine-fentanyl combination after Cesarean section. Pure levobupivacaine may serve as an alternative pain control regimen to avoid opioid-related adverse events in parturients.

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