Jj. Lee et Ap. Rubin, COMPARISON OF A BUPIVACAINE-CLONIDINE MIXTURE WITH PLAIN BUPIVACAINE FOR CAUDAL ANALGESIA IN CHILDREN, British Journal of Anaesthesia, 72(3), 1994, pp. 258-262
In a randomized, double-blind study in children undergoing elective or
thopaedic surgery, we have assessed she clinical value of combining cl
onidine with bupivacaine for caudal analgesia. Forty-six children, age
d 1-10 yr, were allocated randomly to two equal groups to receive 0.25
% bupivacaine 1 ml kg(-1) combined with either normal saline 1 ml (gro
up A) or clonidine 2 mu g kg(-1) in normal saline 1 ml (group B). Mean
(SD) duration of caudal analgesia for groups A and B were 5.2 (1.2) h
and 9.8 (2.1) h, respectively (P < 0.0001). Group B required signific
antly less supplementary analgesia after operation (P < 0.01). There w
as no significant difference in the incidence of side effects between
the two groups. The longer duration of sedation in group B (9.1 (2.5)
h) resulted partly from the sedative effect of clonidine and partly fr
om the longer duration of analgesia provided by clonidine. We conclude
that, when added to bupivacaine, clonidine improves the efficacy of c
audal analgesia in children.