Comparison of Midazolam with Lidocaine and Fentanyl for Caudal Analgesia in Children

Comparison of regional anesthesia techniques for hypospadias surgery: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Regional anesthesia is commonly used in hypospadias surgery; however, the optimal timing, drugs, and types of blocks remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to identify superior regional-anesthesia techniques for hypospadias surgery.

METHODS

This systematic review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42023431583). The following databases were utilized: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until June 3, 2023, which evaluated any regional anesthesia method for hypospadias surgery and investigated pain and complications.

RESULTS

This review included 44 RCTs that compared: (i) types of regional anesthesia, (ii) timing of regional anesthesia (before and after surgery), (iii) drugs used, (iv) regional anesthesia with or without additional interventions, and (v) a composite comparison of the above comparisons. In studies comparing types of regional anesthesia, pudendal nerve block was found to be superior for hypospadias surgery compared to other types, including caudal and penile blocks. No advantage was observed in administering regional anesthesia post-surgery compared to pre- or both pre- and post-surgery. However, a meta-analysis was not feasible due to differing pain scales used across studies.

DISCUSSION

The pudendal nerve block could provide better analgesia than other regional anesthesia methods in terms of pain scales and analgesia duration. Regional anesthesia administered before or both pre- and post-surgery may be more effective than that post-surgery based on pain scales and analgesia duration. A standardized pediatric pain scale is warranted to unify study results.

PROSPERO ID

CRD42023431583.

Rectal route in the 21st Century to treat children

The rectal route can be considered a good alternative to the oral route for the paediatric population because these dosage forms are neither to be swallowed nor need to be taste-masked. Rectal forms can also be administered in an emergency to unconscious or vomiting children. Their manufacturing cost is low with excipients generally regarded as safe. Some new formulation strategies, including mucoadhesive gels and suppositories, were introduced to increase patient acceptability. Even if recent paediatric clinical studies have demonstrated the equivalence of the rectal route with others, in order to enable the use of this promising route for the treatment of children in the 21st Century, some effort should be focused on informing and educating parents and care givers. This review is the first ever to address all the aforementioned items, and to list all drugs used in paediatric rectal forms in literature and marketed products in developed countries.

Comparison of ketamine and fentanyl for postoperative pain relief in children following adenotonsillectomy

Adenotonsillectomy has a high incidence of postoperative pain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of either ketamine or fentanyl for postoperative pain relief in children following adenotonsillectomy. Sixty children aged 3-12 years, scheduled for adenotonsillectomy, were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind study. Patients were divided into two groups of 30 cases and received intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg kg(-1)) or fentanyl (1 microg kg(-1)). Modified Hannallah pain scale or Observational Pain Scores (OPS), nausea, vomiting, bleeding, rescue analgesia, sedation and post-anesthesia recovery scores were recorded both at first and 15th minute postoperatively. Moreover, patients receiving ketamine (group 1) or fentanyl (group 2) had comparable OPS and sedation score both on arrival and at 15th minute in the recovery room (p > 0.05). Although rescue analgesics were similarly required in both groups (p > 0.05), the time to reach rescue analgesia was shorter in group 1 (p = 0.001). Only one patient in fentanyl group had nausea and vomiting in the first 15 min that needed antiemetic in the recovery room. In conclusion, intravenous fentanyl (1 microg kg(-1)) compared with intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg kg(-1)) might provide extended time to first analgesic in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Interestingly, fentanyl and ketamine did not differ in post-operative vomiting.