Continuous epidural analgesia, a new prospect in analgesia of newborns

Abstract

The popularity of continuous caudal epidural block in post-operative analgesia in very young children has been growing. This method of analgesia is used in major abdominal and urological surgeries. A local anaesthetic, usually levobupivacaine, is administered through an epidural catheter introduced via hiatus canalis sacralis. The usual type of the catheter is Arrow G20 armed with a metal spiral, which can be used for children of up to approximately 2000 g of body weight. We want to introduce a modification of the method which uses the thin silicone catheter Premicath G28. This catheter allows for the administration of caudal epidural analgesia even in premature children of approximately 500 g of body weight. This solution eliminates adverse effects of systemic opioid analgesia, accelerates surgical wound healing and disconnection from ventilation system, and improves the potential of enteral nutrition. Depth and quality of analgesia in very young children are monitored using a complex scheme called Comfort Neo Scale (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 7).