Caudal bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in pediatric lower limb surgery.

One hundred children aged 1 to 15 years were randomly allocated to two equal groups. All underwent cold orthopedic surgery to the lower limb, of more than 1 hour's duration with a standard anesthetic technique. One group received caudal bupivacaine 0.25%, 0.7 mL/kg, and one group acted as controls. There were no cases of fecal incontinence in the theater complex but urinary incontinence in the immediate recovery phase increased from 14% in the control group to 34% in the caudal group (P < .05). The caudal block had a duration of effect lasting 5 to 6 hours, and provided better recovery room analgesia (P < .01). The advantages for the child are discussed.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes