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Caudal anesthesia in infants

S Z Hassan

    Anesthesia and Analgesia
    |September 1, 1977
    PubMed

    Insights

    Infants tolerated caudal anesthesia with lidocaine or mepivacaine well. This study found that infants can safely receive higher proportional doses of local anesthetics than adults.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Anesthesiology
    • Pharmacology

    Background:

    • Caudal anesthesia is frequently used in infants for surgical procedures.
    • Determining appropriate local anesthetic dosages for infants is crucial for safety and efficacy.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of caudal anesthesia in infants.
    • To compare different local anesthetic agents and dosage calculation methods.

    Main Methods:

    • A randomized study of 70 infants (4-110 weeks old) undergoing routine surgery.
    • Lidocaine 1.5% (n=50) or mepivacaine 1.5% (n=20) was administered via caudal block.
    • Dosage was calculated using an empirical formula (n=35) or body weight (n=35).

    Main Results:

    • Infants tolerated both lidocaine and mepivacaine well.
    • No significant differences were observed between the dosage calculation methods.
    • Higher proportional doses of local anesthetics were tolerated by infants compared to adults.

    Conclusions:

    • Caudal anesthesia with lidocaine or mepivacaine is a safe and effective option for infants.
    • Infants demonstrate a higher tolerance for proportional doses of local anesthetics.
    • Dosage calculation based on body weight or empirical formula yielded similar results.

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