Comparison of Intravenous Dexamethasone along with Caudal Block versus Caudal Block Alone for Postoperative Analgesia in Pediatric Lower Abdominal Surgeries

dexamethasone to a caudal block in enhancing the duration and quality of postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries. Methodology: This Randomized Control Trial was carried out Department of Anesthesia, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from December 2021May 2022. Patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were divided into two groups. Both groups received caudal block with 1 ml/kg of 0.25% Bupivacaine while group A received 0.25 mg/kg of Dexamethasone intravenously as an adjuvant. Post operatively patients were assessed by FLACC scores at different time intervals. All surgeries were conducted under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Either Mapleson F (Jackson Rees Modification of Ayre’s T piece) or circle system used as breathing circuit. Induction of anesthesia using propofol at a dose of 2-2.5 mg/kg along with O2 100% or with sevoflurane 2 to 3% at fresh gas flow of 6 L/minute was carried out. Data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Results: Mean duration of analgesia in Group A was 7.77 ± 1.38 hours while it was 5.44 ± 0.91 hours in group B. The difference was statistically significant with a p value of less than 0.05 on Mann Whitney U test. Conclusion: Addition of intravenous dexamethasone to caudal block significantly enhances the duration and quality of analgesia among pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries.