A comparative study between Levobupivacaine alone and in combination with Dexmedetomidine in caudal analgesia of hernia repair in pediatrics

Abstract

Background Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the pediatric population. Using optimal analgesic regimen provides safe and effective analgesia, reduce postoperative stress response and accelerate recovery from surgery. Aim of the Work to examine the effect of Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to Levobupivacaine in caudal anesthesia, mainly its effect in enhancing and prolonging post-operative analgesia. Patients and Methods The study was conducted on 50 randomly chosen patients in Ain Shams University Hospitals after approval of the medical ethical committee. Patients were divided randomly into two groups, each group consisted of 25 patients. After preoperative assessment and obtaining baseline vital data, all patients received general anesthesia. Group A: Patients in this group received caudal anesthesia with Levobupivacaine 0.25% at a dose of 2 mg·kg-1 (0.8 ml·kg-1) before the beginning of the procedure. Group B: Patients in this group received Levobupivacaine 0.25% at a dose of 2 mg·kg-1 (0.8 ml·kg-1) in addition to Dexmedetomidine 1 ng·kg-1 in 1 ml normal saline before the beginning of the procedure. Results The results of the study revealed that there was significant reduction in FLACC score in group B at 4, 8, and 12 hours postoperatively compared to group A, at the twenty-fourth hour there was no significant difference. Regarding the duration of analgesia postoperatively we found statistically significant increase in group B compared to that in group A (p-value <0.001). Regarding the number of doses of analgesia required post operatively (Paracetamol 15ml/kg/dose) there was a statistically significant decrease in patients requirement in group B compared to that in group A (p-value <0.001). Conclusion Dexmedetomidine as adjuvant to Levobupivacaine provided significantly prolonged postoperative analgesia, reduced the postoperative analgesic requirements and better parents' satisfaction as compared with caudal analgesia using Levobupivacaine alone in children undergoing hernia repair.