title: Caudal ropivacaine and bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in infants undergoing lower abdominal surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of ropivacaine 0.175% and bupivacaine 0.175% injected caudally into infants for lower abdominal surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty infants, aged 3-12 months, ASA I-II scheduled to undergo lower abdominal surgery were randomly allocated to one of the two groups: Group R received 1ml.kg(-1) 0.175% ropivacaine and Group B received 1ml.kg(-1) 0.175% bupivacaine via caudal route. Postoperative analgesia, sedation and motor block were evaluated with modified objective pain scale, three-point scale and modified Bromage scale respectively. Postoperative measurements including mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), pain (OPS), sedation and motor block score were recorded for four hours in the postoperative recovery room. Parents were contacted by telephone after 24 hours to question duration of analgesia and side effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were found among the groups in demographic data, MAP, HR, OPS and sedation scores during four hours postoperatively. The duration of analgesia was 527.5±150.62 minutes in Group R, 692.77±139.01 minutes in Group B (p=0.004). Twelve (30%) patients in Group R, 16 (40%) patients in groupB needed rescue analgesics (p=0.348). Rescue analgesics were administered (1 time/2 times) (9/3) (22.5/7.5%) in Group R and 16/0 (40/0%) in Group B, where no statistically significant difference was determined between the groups (p=0.071). Motor blockade was observed in 7 (17.5%) patients in Group R, and 8 (20%) patients in Group B (p=0.774).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicated, that a concentration of 0.175% ropivacaine and 0.175% bupivacaine administered to the infants via caudal route both provided effective and similar postoperative pain relief in infants, who underwent lower abdominal surgery.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Surhan Ozer Cinar, Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Halaskargazi Cad. Etfal Sok. Sisli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Surhan Ozer
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Cinar
authors.affiliation: Dr. Canan Tulay Isil, Specialist, Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Halaskargazi Cad. Etfal Sok. Sisli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan Tulay
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Isil
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sevtap Hekimoglu Sahin, Associate Professor, Anesthesiology & Reanimation Department, Trakya University Faculty of Medicine. Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevtap Hekimoglu
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Dr. Inci Paksoy, Specialist, Anesthesiology and Reanimation Clinic, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Halaskargazi Cad. Etfal Sok. Sisli, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Inci
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Paksoy
keywords: Bupivacaine; Caudal analgesia; Pediatric anesthesia; Ropivacaine