A comparative study of ropivacaine and bupivacaine with fentanyl for postoperative patient-controlled epidural analgesia after major abdominal oncosurgery

Aim: To compare the analgesic efficacy of epidural ropivacaine–fentanyl with bupivacaine–fentanyl combination administered by patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) technique for postoperative pain relief after major abdominal oncosurgery. Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomized, interventional, parallel group, active control study was conducted on 60 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–III. Random allocation was carried out into two groups of 30 patients each. Intraoperatively, after administering a loading dose (10mL of 0.5% bupivacaine) in both the groups, continuous infusions of 0.1% bupivacaine plus fentanyl (2 µg/mL) (Group BF) or 0.1% ropivacaine plus fentanyl (2 µg/mL) (Group RF) were started at the rate of 5mL/h. Postoperatively, same drug concentrations were administered via PCEA pump at 4mL/h as a baseline infusion (bolus dose, 3mL; lockout interval, 15min). Visual analog scale (VAS) score at rest and on coughing was recorded at specific time points. Rescue analgesia was administered as per protocol. Results: VAS scores at rest and on coughing were higher in Group BF as compared to Group RF. Group RF had less drug consumption, required fewer PCEA boluses, and had minimal motor blockade as compared to Group BF. Conclusion: Good analgesic efficacy with lower drug consumption makes Group RF well suited for postoperative PCEA with hemodynamic stability and minimal motor blockade.