The efficacy of caudal dexmedetomidine on stress response and postoperative pain in pediatric cardiac surgery

Abstract

We studied efficacy of caudal dexmedetomidine (DEX) on attenuation of perioperative stress response and postoperative pain in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Forty patients, (ASA II, III), 1-3-years old were randomly allocated into two groups; group BD received caudal bupivacaine 0.25%, 2.5 mg/kg and DEX 0.5 μg/kg and group BF received bupivacaine 2.5 mg/kg and fentanyl 1 μg/kg. Serum cortisol and blood glucose levels increased in both groups but increases were significantly less in group BD. Poststernotomy cortisol level (ug/dl) was 55.3 ± 5.1 vs. 90.4 ± 6.5; after cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) 84.1 ± 6.2 vs. 153.1 ± 8.5; after operation 78.3 ± 8.1 vs. 150.2 ± 9.8. Poststernotomy blood glucose level (mg/dl) was 93.6 ± 7.2 vs. 125.6 ± 5.5; after CPB 115.3 ± 3.7 vs. 175.3 ± 10.4; and after operation 97.3 2 ± 3 vs. 162.2 ± 12. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure decreased significantly after caudal block in group BD relative to the baseline and compared with group BF ( P < 0.05). Group BD had lower pain scores at first hour 2 ± 0.7 vs. 3 ± 1.1 ( P = 0.04); second hour 1.9 ± 0.5 vs. 3.7 ± 0.8, ( P = 0.008); fourth hour 2.4 ± 0.8 vs. 4.3 ± 0.5 ( P = 0.03); and eighth hour 2.5 ± 0.5 vs. 4.2 ± 1.1 ( P = 0.03). Caudal DEX attenuated stress response to surgical trauma and provided better postoperative analgesia.