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Ropivacaine: equals bupivacaine for extradural block

Ropivacaine [AL-281, AL-38 I, LEA 103; Apothekemes Laboratorium, Astra, Pierrel] ' ••. apptllrs to induce a sensory block similar to that obtained with bupi"acaine, although perhaps with a slightly shorter duration of action'. The speed of onset of anaesthesia and sensory block was similar in 120 patients undergoing elective surgery who randomly received 15ml extradural doses of ropivacaine 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0% or bupivacaine 0.5 and 0.75% in a double-blind manner. Effective analgesia was achieved with all treatments. The duration of analgesia was increased in patients who received higher drug dosages. Patients received lidocaine [lignocaine] I % in the skin covering the lumbar interspace which may have obscured between-treatment differences in the duration of onset of sensory block.

There was a similar incidence of adverse effects in each treatment group; backache occurred in 23%, bradycardia in 8% and nausea in 14% of patients. Brockway MS, Bannister J, McClure JH, McKeown D, Wildsmith JAW. Comparison of extradural ropivacaine and bupivacaine. British Journal of Anaesthesia 66: 31-37, Jan 1991 57"

9 Mar 1991 INPHAI!MA® ISSN 0156-2703/91/0309-0008/0$01.00/0 © Adis Itlte",atiotla/ Ltd