After dural puncture, an epidural catheter will be placed on nulliparous women between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation presenting for labor . All will receive an test dose of 3ml lidocaine 2%, for properly checking the catheter placement and then an initial dose of 10ml ropivacaine 0,2% with 2 mcg/ml fentanyl. After that, women will be randomly assigned on two groups. Both groups will be receiving the same dose of analgesia (10ml ropivacaine 0,2% plus 1,5 mcg/ml fentanyl. However, one group will be receiving them on scheduled time intervals as programmed intermittent boluses every 60minutes and the other only on patient request for pain relief.~Pain scores, satisfaction, time for adequate analgesia, bromage scores,apgar scores, fetal arterial blood gases, time for delivery and type of delivery will be studied
Intermittent epidural bolus technique opens a new era of interest for maintaining labor anlagesia. The study examines programmed intermittent epidural bolus technique on a scheduled basis to provider-administered bolus anlgesia on patient request, after a dural puncture epidural technique.