Annals of cardiac anaesthesia
Comparison of Effectiveness of Caudal Dexmedetomidine vs. Caudal Fentanyl with Bupivacaine during Pediatric Cardiac Surgery with regards to Hemodynamic Fluctuations and Postoperative Pain
By Manwani RN, Wadaskar D, Panbude P and 2 others.
Abstract
Background
Optimum analgesia, reflecting into attenuation of stress response, is pertinent in pediatric cardiac surgery. Narcotics are still the mainstay in providing analgesia, and they are a common adjunct in caudal epidural analgesia. Unwanted effects of narcotics warrant a constant search for nonopioid analgesics.
Objective
To compare dexmedetomidine vs. fentanyl as an adjuvant in caudal anesthesia in pediatric cardiac surgery.
Materials and methods
Sixty patients, 1 to 8 years of age, with acyanotic congenital heart disease were divided into two groups randomly: group A received caudal dexmedetomidine 0.5 µg/kg with 2 mg/kg bupivacaine diluted to 1.6 ml/kg with normal saline. Group B received caudal fentanyl 1 µg/kg with 2 mg/kg bupivacaine diluted to 1.6 ml/kg with normal saline.