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World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2026; 16(4): 112785
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.112785
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.112785
Effects of butorphanol combined with ropivacaine on plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels and postpartum depression in labor analgesia
Xiang Shen, Na An, Yan-Fang Deng, Department of Anesthesia, The No. 1 People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang 615000, Sichuan Province, China
Jun Peng, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The No. 1 People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang 615000, Sichuan Province, China
Bing Zhang, Department of Proctology, The No. 1 People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang 615000, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Shen X conducted the research, performed statistical analyses, and wrote the manuscript; Shen X, Zhang B, and An N collected data; Shen X, Zhang B, An N, and Deng YF assisted with data analysis and revised the manuscript; Peng J and Deng YF contributed to data interpretation; Zhang B, An N, and Deng YF were responsible for facilitating clinical data access, overseeing patient recruitment, and providing critical revisions to the manuscript; Peng J supervised the overall study design; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Liangshan State Financial Academic and Technical Leader Training Fund, No. 2022-34.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the No. 1 People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture Ethics Committee, No. 2025-013.
Informed consent statement: All pregnant women and their families provided written informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The datasets used and/or analyzed in the present study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Jun Peng, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The No. 1 People’s Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, No. 6 Xiashuncheng Street, Xichang 615000, Sichuan Province, China. pengjunpj@126.com
Received: August 19, 2025
Revised: October 5, 2025
Accepted: December 25, 2025
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 222 Days and 20.2 Hours
Revised: October 5, 2025
Accepted: December 25, 2025
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 222 Days and 20.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study demonstrates that a combination of butorphanol and ropivacaine for labor analgesia significantly reduces pain scores, stress hormone levels (adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol), and the incidence of postpartum depression compared to sufentanil-ropivacaine. The combination provides a faster onset of analgesia, fewer adverse reactions, and better neuroendocrine regulation, making it a safer and more effective option for maternal care.