Skip Navigation


BJA Advance Access originally published online on June 19, 2006
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2006 97(2):250-254; doi:10.1093/bja/ael145
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
97/2/250    most recent
ael145v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Duflo, F.
Right arrow Articles by Chassard, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Duflo, F.
Right arrow Articles by Chassard, D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


© The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2006. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Efficacy and plasma levels of ropivacaine for children: controlled regional analgesia following lower limb surgery

F. Duflo1,*, V. Sautou-Miranda2, A. Pouyau1, P. Taylor1, S. Combet1, F. Chotel3, N. Bleyzac4 and D. Chassard1

1 Département d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Debrousse Lyon, France
2 Service Pharmacie, Hôpital Montpied Clermont-Ferrand, France
3 Département de Chirurgie Infantile Orthopédique, Hôpital Debrousse Lyon, France
4 Département de Pharmacologie Clinique Hôpital Debrousse Lyon, France

*Corresponding author: Département d'Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Debrousse, 29, rue Soeur Bouvier, 69322 Lyon Cedex 05, France. E-mail: frederic.duflo{at}chu-lyon.fr

Background. Continuous regional analgesia (CRA) is considered a safe and efficacious technique for postoperative pain relief in children after lower limb surgery. We recently evaluated the feasibility of patient-controlled regional analgesia (PCRA) in a similar acute pain situation and we concluded that PCRA might be advantageous over CRA in terms of lower costs, risk of systemic toxicity while producing similarly adequate analgesia. We therefore prospectively compared both techniques in the paediatric population.

Methods. In total, 30 children undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgery were randomized to receive PCRA or CRA with ropivacaine 0.2%. Visual analogue scale scores, rescue analgesia, overall satisfaction, motor blockade and plasma ropivacaine concentrations were recorded for 48 h.

Results. Adequate analgesia was achieved with both techniques. No significant difference was noted for rescue analgesia, overall satisfaction and motor blockade. In contrast, children in the PCRA group received significantly less local anaesthetics than those in the CRA group. In addition, total plasma concentrations of ropivacaine were significantly reduced in the PCRA group as compared with the CRA group during the 48 h postoperative period.

Conclusions. Both techniques are efficacious and satisfactory. However, PCRA with ropivacaine 0.2% can provide adequate postoperative analgesia for paediatric orthopaedic procedures with smaller doses of ropivacaine than CRA.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.