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. 2012 Apr;28(2):185-9.
doi: 10.4103/0970-9185.94839.

Efficacy of clonidine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing subumbilical surgery

Akilandeswari Manickam  1 , Mahesh Vakamudi, Aruna Parameswari, Chetana Chetan
Affiliations

Efficacy of clonidine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing subumbilical surgery

Akilandeswari Manickam et al. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

Context: The use of clonidine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine in different concentrations through the caudal space has been shown to improve the analgesic efficacy of local anesthetics.

Aims: The purpose of our study was to compare the efficacy of ropivacaine 0.1% with clonidine 1 mcg/kg to that of plain 0.1% and 0.2% ropivacaine for caudal analgesia in children.

Settings and design: Prospective, double blind, randomized controlled trial.

Materials and methods: Sixty children in the age group of 1-6 years undergoing subumbilical surgeries were included in the study. Group A received 1 ml/kg of 0.1% ropivacaine, group B received 1 ml/kg of 0.1% ropivacaine with clonidine 1 mcg/kg, and group C received 1 ml/kg of 0.2% ropivacaine.

Results: The mean duration of analgesia was 243.7 ± 99.29 min in group A, 590.25 ± 83.93 min in group B, and 388.25 ± 82.35 min in group C. The duration of analgesia was significantly prolonged in group B compared to groups A and C with the P value of 0.001. At 8 h, all the 20 children in group A had received the first rescue analgesic compared to 18 children in group C and 3 children in group B. The duration of motor blockade after extubation was 30.6 ± 7.8 min and was noted only in group C. Only 1 child in group B received two rescue medications compared to 15 (75%) children in group A and 8 (40%) children in group C. None of the groups were treated for bradycardia or hypotension and no significant sedation was noted.

Conclusions: Clonidine 1 mcg/kg with ropivacaine 0.1% prolongs the duration and quality of analgesia compared to plain ropivacaine 0.1% and 0.2% without any significant sedation.

Keywords: Caudal analgesia; clonidine; ropivacaine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The mean duration of analgesia in the three groups
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of rescue medications received by children in different groups
Figure 3
Figure 3
The mean heart rate at different time intervals in the intraoperative period
Figure 4
Figure 4
The mean arterial pressures at different time intervals in the intraoperative period
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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