Opioid Free Ptyregopalatine Ganglion Block Based Multimodal Anesthesia Versus Conventional Opioid Based Multimodal Anesthesia for Tonsillectomy Operations: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Otolaryngology often involves adenotonsillectomies, surgical procedures aimed at addressing obstructive sleep-disordered breathing and underlying apnea in children. Objectives: Pediatric anesthesiologists and otolaryngologists encounter challenges in managing pain post-adenotonsillectomy, especially due to the use of opioid medications in children who have an elevated baseline risk of airway obstruction and associated morbidity and mortality. Methods: This prospective, randomized, double-blinded study was conducted at Eldemerdash Hospital, Ain Shams University, Egypt, from September 2022 to August 2023. A total of 90 patients aged 5 - 13 years who underwent elective tonsillectomy surgery were randomly assigned to two groups, with 45 patients in each group. The first group, referred to as group A, received intravenous 1.0 μg/kg fentanyl, dexamethasone 150 μg/kg, and paracetamol 15 mg/kg. The second group, referred to as group B, received dexamethasone 150 μg/kg and paracetamol 15 mg/kg, with an opioid-free pterygopalatine ganglion block for multimodal anesthesia. The primary outcome measure of this study was the postoperative Wong-Baker scale at 1st, 3rd, and 24th hours. Results: This study included 90 individuals with similar demographic profiles and comparable initial characteristics and surgical techniques in both groups (P > 0.05). Intraoperative heart rate, mean blood pressure, additional analgesia, postoperative Wong-Baker scale, postoperative rescue analgesia, and laryngospasm did not show significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of nausea, vomiting, hypoxia, and post-anesthesia care unit stay, with group B experiencing fewer of these issues (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Both conventional opioid-based multimodal anesthesia and opioid-free pterygopalatine ganglion block-based multimodal anesthesia are effective methods for providing analgesia during and after tonsillectomy surgery. The pterygopalatine ganglion block, the latter option, has been found to result in fewer postoperative complications such as nausea, vomiting, and hypoxia. Additionally, patients who receive this type of anesthesia typically require less time in the post-anesthesia care unit.