Objective  To explore the efficiency and safety of different doses of ropivacaine combined with fentanyl for labor analgesia.

  Methods  A total of 120 normal single birth primiparas were selected and randomly divided into low dose group (0.10% ropivacaine combined with fentanyl), medium dose group (0.15% ropivacaine combined with fentanyl) and high dose group (0.20% ropivacaine combined with fentanyl), with 40 cases in each group. Maternal analgesia, labor process, mode of delivery, neonatal Apgar score and adverse reactions were compared among the three groups.

  Results  At the time points of 60 min and 120 min after analgesia, cervix opening 3 to 4 cm and 7 to 8 cm, the scores of maternal visual analogue scale (VAS) in medium dose group and high dose group were significantly lower than those in low dose group (P < 0.05). In high dose group, there were 4 cases (13.33%) with motor block after analgesia, and there was no case with motor block during analgesia in the other two groups. The onset time of analgesia in medium dose group and high dose group was significantly shorter than that in low dose group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in time of labor stage, mode of delivery and neonatal Apgar score among the three groups (P>0.05). The incidence rates of adverse reactions in low dose group, medium dose group and high dose group were 2.50%, 5.00% and 20.00% respectively, and there were significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  The 0.15% ropivacaine combined with fentanyl has the best effect and higher safety in labor analgesia.