European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background and objectives: The provision of adequate analgesia is necessary after any surgery and is all the more important in children. Pain after surgery is inevitable. It has been recognized for some time that management of acute pain, especially postoperative pain, has been consistently and systematically inadequate, situation being worse in children. Bupivacaine has been for long used in caudal for post-operative analgesia but had back drop considerations of toxicity in large doses thus making it necessary to be able to use an alternative drug like Ropivacaine and levobupivacaine with lower toxicity but similar analgesic capability.
Methodology: After careful pre-anaesthetic check-up children posted for elective sub-umbilical surgeries between age groups of 3-8yrs of ASA I & II were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. Group L received levobupivacaine 0.25% 1ml/kg + 2mcg/kg clonidine and Group R received ropivacaine 0.25% 1ml/kg + 2mcg/kg clonidine. Following intrathecal administration of these drugs, intraoperative hemodynamic changes, postoperative pain relieving quality and rescue analgesia were studied. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored in the intraoperative and postoperative period. Incidence of side effects were also noted. Conclusion: we noted that Addition of clonidine as an adjuvant to both the groups were significantly increase in Post-operative analgesic quality with perioperative hemodynamic stability with minimum side effects. Thus making it evident the clonidine as an adjuvant to Ropivacaine and levobupivacaine can be safely used for single shot caudal block in children undergoing elective subumbilical surgeries.