Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Arif Baloch, Nazeer Ahmed, Zafarullah, Yasir Reda Toble

Intravenous Dexamethasone as an Adjuvant to Caudal Analgesia for Post Herniotomy Pain

Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Arif Baloch, Nazeer Ahmed, Zafarullah, Yasir Reda Toble



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ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the outcomes of caudal block with or without intravenous dexamethasone in controlling post-herniotomy pain in pediatric population

Patients and Methods: A total of 90 patients who underwent inguinal herniotomy were included in this prospective comparative study. The study was conducted in a tertiary care setup in Qatar from Jan-2020 to May-2021. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups. Group A (dexamethasone) patients received dexamethasone intravenous 0.25 mg/kg in 5 ml of distilled water, 10 minutes before surgery. Group B (control) received 5 ml of normal saline, 10 minutes before surgery. The patients were followed for up to 240 minutes after surgery to determine adequate pain relief.

Results: Mean age of the children included in this study was 7.11±1.95 years. There were 46 (51.1%) female children and 44 (48.9%) male children. Adequate post-operative pain relief was achieved in 30 (33.33%) patients, while rescue analgesia was needed in remaining 60 (66.67%) patients. Adequate pain relief was achieved in 24 (53.3%) children in dexamethasone group and in only 06 (13.3%) children in control group (p-value 0.001).

Conclusion: In children undergoing herniotomy, Intravenous 0.25 mg/Kg of dexamethasone when used as an adjunct to bupivacaine for caudal block significantly reduces post-operative pain.

Keywords: Caudal Block, intravenous dexamethasone, Post-operative pain Relief.



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