Time-Based Visualanalog Scale (Vas) Assessment in Postoperative Epiduralanalgesia: A Comparative Study of Ropivacaine-Fentanyl vs Bupivacaine-Fentanyl

Background: Effective postoperative pain control improves patient satisfaction, functional recovery, and reduces complications. Epidural analgesia using ropivacaine or bupivacaine combined with fentanyl is commonly employed after infraumbilical surgeries. However, comparative data on their time-based pain relief patterns using VAS scoring are limited. Methods: A total of 120 patients undergoing infraumbilical surgery under combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia were involved in this prospective, randomized, double-blind trial. Group Areceived 0.1% ropivacaine with 2 mcg/ml fentanyl, and Group B received 0.1% bupivacaine with 2 mcg/ml fentanyl. VAS scores were recorded at 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, 90-, 120-, 150- and 180-minutes post-epidural top-up. Rescue analgesia was given when VAS ≥ 3. Mean VAS scores and duration of analgesia were compared. Results: Group A showed slightly lower mean VAS scores over time, especially beyond the first hour, though differences were not statistically significant at most time points. The duration of analgesia (time until VAS ≥ 3) was longer in Group A(mean 152 ± 18 min) compared to Group B (mean 140 ± 22 min), p = 0.046. Fewer patients in Group A required rescue analgesia within the first 3 hours. Conclusion: Epidural ropivacaine-fentanyl offers comparable onset but longer-lasting analgesia than bupivacaine-fentanyl postoperatively. This supports the use of ropivacaine in cases where prolonged single-shot epidural relief is desired.