Intravenous Dexamethasone as an Adjuvant to Caudal Analgesia for Post Herniotomy Pain
Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Arif Baloch, Nazeer Ahmed, Zafarullah, Yasir Reda Toble
3491
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.