[Peridural analgesia during labor: comparative study of a fentanyl-marcaine combination and marcaine alone].

A randomised trial was carried out to evaluate the use of a mixture of fentanyl with marcaine in epidural analgesia. Two series of 30 patients each were studied: in the first only marcaine was given for the epidural and in the second marcaine and fentanyl mixed. Stronger and longer analgesia was obtained in the series where fentanyl was added showing that local anaesthetics can be potentiated by opiates. There was no significant difference in the two series as far as the cardiovascular, respiratory and blood gas measurements were concerned, either in the mother or in the fetus.