Introduction: Epidural analgesia is one of the preferred mode of perioperative management. Neuraxial opioids like fentanyl when used in epidural offer advantage of augmenting local anaesthetic effect and reducing the anaesthetic and analgesic requirement. Aim: To compare the adequacy of analgesia, requirement of rescue analgesics between 0.125% bupivacaine with 2 mcg/cc fentanyl and 0.125% levobupivacaine with 2 mcg/cc fentanyl. Materials And Methods: The randomised clinical study was carried out from September 2016 to May 2017 in 70 patients (35 in each group) of American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) 1 and 2 scheduled for elective gynae-oncological surgeries. The epidural analgesia in group Bupivacaine with Fentanyl (BF) was 0.125% Bupivacaine with 2 mcg/cc Fentanyl and group Levobupivacaine with Fentanyl (LF) was 0.125% Levobupivacaine with 2 mcg/cc fentanyl. All data was statistically analysed and compared using Student t-test, Chisquare/Fisher-Exact test. Results: Total of 70 patients were analysed, 35 each in Group BF (mean age: 50.06±7.19 years) and Group LF (mean age: 46.43±8.41 years). Both the groups were compatible with regard to demographic data and haemodynamic variables. The mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was higher in group BF compared to group LF at 0,1,4,6,1,2 and 18 hours but the observed difference in both the groups was not statistically significant except at 2nd (p-value: 0.016) and 24th hour (p-value 0.017). Number of rescue analgesics as epidural boluses (p-value=0.001) and paracetamol (p-value=0.044) requirement were more in group BF compared to group LF respectively. Conclusion: On account of adequate postoperative analgesia, haemodynamic stability, levobupivacaine with fentanyl is a better option than bupivacaine with fentanyl for epidural infusion.

Introduction: Epidural analgesia has emerged as one of the preferred and convenient modes of intraoperative and postoperative management owing to advantage of not interfering with metabolic functions, better tolerability and decrease in reflex activity, similar analgesic properties, less motor blockade and decreased propensity of cardiotoxicity. Neuraxial opioids like fentanyl used in epidural analgesia offer advantage of augmenting local anaesthetic effect and reducing the anaesthetic and analgesic requirement. Aim: To compare the adequacy of analgesia, requirement of rescue analgesics between 0.2% ropivacaine and 0.2% ropivacaine with 2 mcg/cc fentanyl. Materials and Methods: The randomised clinical study was carried out from September 2016 to May 2018 in 70 patients (35 in each group) of American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) 1 and 2 scheduled for elective lower abdominal oncological surgeries. The anaesthetic intervention in group R was 0.2 % ropivacaine and group RF was 0.2% ropivacaine with 2 mcg/cc fentanyl. All data was statistically analyzed and compared using Student t-test, Chi-square/Fisher-Exact test. The p-value <0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: Both the groups were compatible with regard to demographic data and haemodynamic variables. The mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were higher in group R compared to group RF at 0, 2, 4, 12, 18 and 24 hours but the observed difference in both the groups was not statistically significant except at 1 and 6 hours. Number of rescue analgesics as epidural boluses (p-value=0.007) and paracetamol (p-value=0.022) requirement were more in group R compared to group RF respectively. Conclusion: On account of adequate postoperative analgesia, haemodynamic stability, ropivacaine with fentanyl is a better option than ropivacaine alone for epidural infusion.

Introduction: Epidural analgesia is one of the preferred and convenient mode of perioperative management. Neuraxial opioids augment local anaesthetic effect, thus reducing their requirement for analgesia. The addition of fentanyl may cause side-effects like Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV), sedation which results in patient discomfort, thus effecting postoperative recovery. Aim: To estimate the incidence, compare the requirement of rescue antiemetics for PONV and Ramsay Sedation Scores within first 24 hours of postoperative period in patients undergoing elective lower abdominal oncological sugeries. Materials and Methods: The present study was a randomised study which was carried out from September 2016 to May 2018, in 70 patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 1 and 2, scheduled for elective lower abdominal oncological surgeries. The study population was divided into group R, comprising of patients receiving epidural infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine and group RF with patients receiving epidural infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine with 2 μg/mL fentanyl. The incidence of PONV, rescue antiemetics for PONV and the incidence of sedation using Ramsay sedation score were evaluated in each group and compared. All data was statistically analysed and compared using Student's t-test, Chi-square. The p-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Groups were comparable with regard to demographic data. The incidence of PONV in group R was 37.1% and in group RF was 28.6%. The requirement of rescue antiemetic for PONV were comparable in the study groups. However, this was not statistically significant. Patients in group RF had higher mean Ramsay sedation scores at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours but the observed difference in both the groups was statistically significant p<0.05 except at 0 and 2nd hours which were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study concludes that the patients receiving epidural infusion of ropivacaine with fentanyl should be given prophylactic antiemetic to minimise patient’s discomfort. Also, these patients when compared to patients receiving epidural infusion of ropivacaine alone require monitoring for sedation during the postoperative period.