Comparison of Analgesic Efficacy between Bupivacaine with Dexamethasone and Bupivacaine Alone in Caudal Block for Pediatric Patients Undergoing Open Inguinal Hernia Repair

Abstract

pen inguinal hernial repair surgeries are one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the pediatric population. Using optimal analgesic regimen provide safe and effective analgesia, reduce postoperative stress response and accelerate recovery from surgery. Regional anesthetic techniques are commonly used to facilitate pain control in pediatric surgical procedures. The most commonly used techniques in pediatrics is caudal block. This study is conducted to evaluate the analgesic effect of dexamethasone when given caudally as an adjuvant to caudal block vs bupivacaine alone in caudal block for children undergoing Open inguinal hernial repair surgeries. 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 BD who would receive caudal dexamethasone: o Caudal block with local anesthetic solution of Bupivacaine 0.25% mixed with 0.1mg/kg of dexamethasone (total volume=1ml/kg)