ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the time for first analgesic requirement after local wound infiltration with tramadol and bupivacaine in pediatric inguinal herniotomy.

Materials and Methods: A total of 130 children aged 4 to 12 years who underwent inguinal herniotomy were included in this randomized comparative study. The study was conducted in anesthesiology unit of a tertiary care center in Qatar from Nov-2020 to July-2021. Patients in Group T received wound infiltration by Inj. Tramadol 2 mg/kg diluted in 10cc distilled water while patients in Group B received Inj. Bupivacaine 1mg/kg diluted in 10 cc distilled water. Postoperatively Pain score using Wong Baker Faces Scale was noted from ½ hour to 6 hours after surgery. Time of first rescue analgesia was noted.

Results: The mean age was 7.98±2.40 years in group B versus 7.49±2.58 years in group T (p-value 0.26). There were 42 (64.6%) in group B versus 45 (69.2%) in group T (p-value 0.93). Mean surgery duration was 46.66±4.73 minutes in group T and 45.50±4.37 minutes in group B. The Wong-Baker pain score at different time intervals was significantly lower in group T in comparison to group B. Time of first analgesia requirement was 6.87±0.76 hours in group P versus 5.67±0.97 hours in group P, this duration was significantly prolonged in group T with p-value <0.001.

Conclusion: Local wound infiltration with tramadol provides a longer time for first analgesic requirement as compared to the bupivacaine in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair.