Analgesia postoperatoria en la queiloplastia del lactante. Estudio comparativo: bloqueo infraorbitario intraoral bilateral con bupivacaína 0,25% con adrenalina vs. analgesia intravenosa con tramadol

摘要

Objective: To compare the effectiveness and length of bilateral intraoral blockade of the infraorbitary nerve versus standard intravenous analgesia with tramadol for the management of postoperative pain in breast-fed infants undergoing chieloplasty due to harelip. Material and methods: After conducting an adequate pre-anesthetic assessment and obtaining the informed consent from their parents, we performed a double-blind, randomized, controlled and randomized study in 25 ASA I infants with ages ranging from 3 to 10 months that were candidates to corrective harelip surgery (chieloplasty). All of them were pretreated half an hour before the surgical procedure with oral midazolan (0.5 mg.kg-1) and the same anesthesiologist performed the anesthetic technique and the nerve blockade in all the cases, this being inhaled induction with sevoflurane prior to venoclysis. General anesthesia was achieved with intravenous administration of atropine, fentanyl and rocuronium at the standard doses prior to endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Patients were randomized to one of the following groups: Group A (n = 12): 1-2 ml of bupivacaine 0.25% plus adrenaline was administered for bilateral blockade of the intraorbitary nerve and intravenous saline solution instead of intravenous analgesia with tramadol. Group B (n = 13): saline solution was administered for nerve blockade, instead of bupivacaine, and intravenous tramadol (1.5 mg.kg-1) was provided as postoperative analgesia. All of the patients underwent general anesthesia with sevoflurane and fentanyl "on-demand" according to standard parameters (blood pressure, heart rate, pupil size, etc.). During the first six hours at Reanimation, length of analgesia, degree of discomfort and pain severity were assessed. The presence of complications or side effects was also recorded. Data were analyzed using the t Student and the χ2 test. Results: No differences were found regarding demographic features. Analgesia lasted more in group A (7.3 ± 5.1 h) compared to group B (2.8 ± 2.2 h) (p < 0.01). Subjective assessment of pain severity was higher in group B (2.23 ± 0.83) compared to group A (0.66 ± 0.6) (p < 0.01). Degree of comfort, as assessed through an objective scale, was significantly greater in the group undergoing blockade with local anesthetic. Discussion: Anesthesia for neonates undergoing surgical reparation of harelip with intraoral bilateral blockade of the infraorbitary nerve is a safe, simple and quick technique that provides a lasting postoperative analgesia and also reduces the risks of respiratory depression, since it allows a lower use of opiate analgesics and, hence, an immediate and comfortable awakening.