The pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine were studied in chronically instrumented nonpregnant and pregnant ewes. On the day of study, the urinary bladder was catheterized. Ropivacaine (2.5 or 3.0 mg/kg) was administered by intravenous infusion over 2 or 4 min. Serial samples of arterial blood and urine were collected over 5 h, and drug concentrations were determined using a gas chromatographic technique. Total clearance of ropivacaine was lower in the pregnant animals (21.6 +/- 4.5 mL.min-1.kg-1) compared with the nonpregnant animals (45.1 +/- 6.7 mL.min-1.kg-1). There was a tendency toward a decrease in the volume of distribution during the terminal exponential phase of drug elimination of 2.03 +/- 0.36 L/kg in the pregnant and 4.32 +/- 1.03 L/kg in the nonpregnant sheep. Thus the difference in the elimination half-life was only minimal: 74.7 +/- 10.7 min in the pregnant and 64.4 +/- 7.4 min in the nonpregnant animals. It is concluded that ovine pregnancy is accompanied by changes in the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine. Inadvertent intravenous injections of similar drug doses to pregnant and nonpregnant women might result in higher plasma concentrations of ropivacaine in the former. However, the rate of decline in plasma levels of the drug would be similar in both.