The efficacy of ropivacaine-fentanyl versus ropivacaine-clonidine for pre-emptive caudal anesthesia in children

Abstract

Objective: Caudal block has gained much popularity in the past few decades to provide analgesia in pediatric population. Although local anesthetic agents remain the mainstay for caudal blocks, addition of additives to the solution improves quality and duration of analgesia and reduces the toxicity by allowing lower concentrations of the local anesthetic agents. In this regard opioids have been studied extensively, but there is not much comparative research about caudal clonidine. The aim of our current study was to compare the caudal block characteristics of ropivacaine 0.25% with clonidine 1 µg/kg versus ropivacaine 0.25% with fentanyl 1µg/kg in pediatric patients.