Comparison between caudal bupivacaine and bupivacaine with ketamine for postoperative analgesia in children: A prospective randomized clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Efficacy of caudal bupivacaine plus ketamine on postoperative pain in children.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of caudal block with mixture of bupivacaine and ketamine to bupivacaine alone for postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing infraumbilical surgery.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective randomized study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were collected; mean value and standard deviation were computed for age, weight, duration of surgery, and duration of analgesia. Then, the mean values of the two groups were compared using ANOVA. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II pediatric patients of either sex, aged 1-10 years, undergoing herniotomy, orchidopexy, and urethroplasty were randomly allocated to receive one of the two analgesic regimens. Group A (30 patients) received caudal bupivacaine 0.25% in a dose of 1 ml/kg, and Group B received caudal block with 0.25% bupivacaine 1 ml/kg and preservative-free ketamine 0.5 mg/kg; duration of analgesia was recorded by objective pain scale to equate pain and discomfort in young children with changes in standardized behavioral and physiological parameters.

RESULTS: Mean duration of analgesia in Group A was 5.63 ± 0.98 h while the mean duration of analgesia in Group B was 10.18 ± 2.24 h with P < 0.001. There were no differences between groups in the incidence of motor block and side effects.

CONCLUSION: On the basis of results derived from this study, it is concluded that addition of ketamine 0.5 mg/kg to caudal bupivacaine 0.25% in a dose of 1 ml/kg significantly prolonged the postoperative analgesia compared with administration of caudal bupivacaine 0.25% in a dose of 1 ml/kg alone.