ISSN:
1460-9592
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background: The aim of this double blind, randomized, comparative study was to assess the analgesic efficacy and incidence of motor block after caudal block using three different concentrations of ropivacaine, 1, 2 and 3 mg·ml–1, in children 4–12-year-old. Methods: One hundred and ten children ASA I–II, scheduled for inguinal surgery, were included in the study. After induction of a standardized general anaesthetic technique, all patients received 1 ml·kg–1 of the ropivacaine solution for a caudal block and were assessed for 8 h after the injection. Results: The ropivacaine was well tolerated in all patients. Median time to treatment with analgesics was 3.3, 4.5 and 4.2 h in the 1, 2 and 3 mg·ml–1 groups, respectively. During the first 4 h, the pain scores for both a 6-graded faces scale and a 4-graded observer scale were higher in the 1 mg·ml–1 group than the 3 mg·ml–1 group. The median sensory block reached T12 in all groups 1 h after the caudal block. Thereafter, the speed of regression was correlated with the ropivacaine concentration. In the patients with a sensory block from T12 and above, the median time to treatment with analgesics was longer than in the children with a sensory block below T12. The incidence of motor block was 28% in the 3 mg·ml–1 group in comparison with 0 and 13% in the 1 and 2 mg·ml–1 groups. Conclusions: It was concluded that 1 ml·kg–1 of ropivacaine 2 mg·ml–1 for caudal block provided satisfactory postoperative pain relief after inguinal surgery in 4–12-year-old children. Ropivacaine 1 mg·ml–1 showed less efficacy while the use of ropivacaine 3 mg·ml–1 was associated with a higher incidence of motor block with minimal improvement in postoperative pain relief.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1460-9592.2002.00769.x
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