Two Doses of Intrathecal Sufentanil (2.5 and 5 μg) Combined with Bupivacaine and Epinephrine for Labor Analgesia

UNLABELLED: In this study, we evaluated the effect of two doses of intrathecal sufentanil combined with bupivacaine and epinephrine on the incidence of pruritus and on the duration and quality of analgesia. One hundred five parturients were enrolled in this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. They received either intrathecal 1.25 mg bupivacaine and 25 microg epinephrine (control group); 1.25 mg bupivacaine, 25 microg epinephrine, and 2.5 microg sufentanil (2.5-microg group); or 1.25 mg bupivacaine, 25 microg epinephrine, and 5 microg (5-microg group). Pain relief was assessed 10 min after injection, and pruritus was recorded at 30 min by a blinded observer. The study ended when the parturients requested further analgesia. There were no demographic differences among groups. Ninety of 103 parturients achieved complete pain relief with the initial dose, 11 patients in the control group (P < 0.004, control versus both sufentanil groups), and 2 patients in the 2.5-microg group needed a supplemental epidural bupivacaine. Pruritus was absent in the control group (P < 0.0001, control versus both sufentanil groups), whereas it was present in 36% of the 2.5-microg group and in 66% of the 5-microg group (P = 0.015, 2.5-microg versus 5-microg group). The mean duration of analgesia was similar in patients receiving sufentanil (2.5-microg group: 133 +/- 55 min; 5-microg group: 142 +/- 52 min) but was significantly higher than the control group (56 +/- 32 min). Reducing the sufentanil dose from 5 microg to 2.5 microg when combined with bupivacaine and epinephrine, decreases the incidence of pruritus without impeding the quality or duration of analgesia. IMPLICATIONS: We evaluated two different doses of intrathecal sufentanil combined with bupivacaine and epinephrine for labor analgesia. Sufentanil 2.5 microg offered an advantage over sufentanil 5 microg because, while providing the same quality and duration of analgesia, it was associated with a reduced incidence of pruritus.