Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42232097›Full record

Trial reportDrug design, development and therapy2026

Determining the Optimal Volume of Ropivacaine Combined with Dexmedetomidine for Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus in Labor Analgesia: A Randomized Dose-Response Study.

Congzhong Song, Jianxin Ni, Chaohui Liu, Yang Xu, Zhong Mei, Jing Yu

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Drug design, development and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Congzhong SongDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-7648-3561
Jianxin NiDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Chaohui LiuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Yang XuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Zhong MeiDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0003-1731-0593
Jing YuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University (Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital), Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-8848-4959

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) technique is effective for labor analgesia. Although ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine is used for epidural labor analgesia, the optimal PIEB volume for this regimen remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the optimal PIEB volume for effective labor analgesia using 0.0625% ropivacaine with 0.4 μg/mL dexmedetomidine. Methods: Parturients requesting labor epidural analgesia received a 20mL loading dose of 0.0625% ropivacaine mixed with 0.4μg/mL dexmedetomidine via PIEB. Eighty parturients were randomly assigned to four PIEB volume groups (6, 8, 10, or 12 mL) one hour after receiving a loading dose. Analgesia was maintained with the same formulation administered at 45-minute intervals. Effective epidural labor analgesia was defined as the absence of the need for patient-controlled or manual supplementation of analgesic medication within 6 hours after the loading dose or until full cervical dilation. Probit regression was used to estimate effective volumes. Results: A total of 79 parturients were analyzed. Effective analgesia rates in the 6, 8, 10, and 12 mL groups were 50%, 63.2%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. The estimated EV50 and EV90 were 6.5 mL (95% CI: 3.7-7.7) and 11.0 mL (95% CI: 9.7-14.8). A significant difference in the rate of oxytocin administration was observed among the groups (P = 0.041), with a lower rate in the 6 mL group. No significant differences were observed in adverse reactions. Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, the EV90 for PIEB was estimated to be approximately 11.0 mL when using a solution of 0.0625% ropivacaine combined with 0.4 μg/mL dexmedetomidine for epidural labor analgesia. The use of oxytocin augmentation showed an increasing trend with higher PIEB volumes. Therefore, in clinical practice, it is advisable to strike a balance between obstetric progress and analgesic efficacy, rather than pursuing perfect analgesia.

Indexed as

Analgesia, EpiduralAnalgesia, ObstetricalAnesthetics, LocalDexmedetomidineRopivacaineAdultDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansLabor, ObstetricPregnancyAnesthetics, LocalDexmedetomidineRopivacainedexmedetomidineepidural labor analgesiaPIEBropivacaine

Identifiers

PMID42232097
PMCPMC13222766

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.