Evaluation of caudal anesthesia performed in conscious infants for lower abdominal surgeries

OBJECTIVE: To assess the tolerance and efficiency of caudal anesthesia in infants undergoing lower abdominal surgery.

METHODS: Thirty-five infants aged 2-13 weeks with a median gestational age of 35 weeks, were given single dose caudal epidural anesthesia (with bupivacaine) without sedation. This group of babies was treated at the Tabriz Children General Hospital between December 2006 and March 2007. We evaluated patients’ analgesia (Beclere pain scale), blood pressure, heart rate changes, and apnea during the 24-hour postoperative period. Each patient was self-compared by Run test.

RESULTS: Three patients had pain requiring induction of general anesthesia. Out of 35 cases, 23 patients had non-significant changes in heart rate, 20 patients had non-significant changes in systolic blood pressure, and 17 patients had non-significant changes in diastolic blood pressure. None of the patients experienced apnea. Four patients required postoperative analgesic support for 2 hours, 2 patients for 3.5 hours, and 9 patients for 4 hours.

CONCLUSION: The present study shows that single dose caudal block can be used successfully in conscious babies for minor lower abdominal surgery, and may also facilitate postoperative pain management.