European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Levobupivacaine has also been evaluated as a less toxic substitute for bupivacaine and has been found to produce a quantitatively similar neural blockade. So far few data are available concerning the use of levobupivacaine in children. Ropivacaine, a recently introduced bupivacaine analogue drug, is less neurotoxic and cardiotoxic than bupivacaine. Ropivacaine is less lipophilic; hence, it is less likely to penetrate large myelinated motor fibers, resulting in a relatively reduced motor blockade and longer postoperative analgesia and has a greater degree of motor sensory differentiation, which could be useful when motor blockade is not desired. In this randomized, prospective, double blind, single hospital study ninety (90) paediatric patients aged 1 to 10 years undergoing lower abdominal surgery were enrolled. Twenty three patients were excluded as they did not meet the inclusion criteria and seven patients refused to participate.This study was conducted on 60 patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries. The mean postoperative duration of analgesia was 321.37 ± 24.25 minutes in group L and 309.75 ±23.68 minutes in group R. The difference in the mean duration of analgesia was statistically insignificant (p -value was > 0.05 at all specified intervals).