Background Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has changed the surgical management of cholelithiasis and has become the mainstay of the management of uncomplicated gallstone disease. Adequate postoperative pain relief leading to early ambulation is imperative for patient satisfaction and early discharge of the patient. The use of ultrasound in anesthetic practice has ushered in a new era of ultrasound-guided blocks for postoperative analgesia, replacing the conventional methods. This study compares two modalities of postoperative pain relief, namely the oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block and the newer erector spinae plane block for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Results Sixty patients between the age group 18 to 75 of ASA grades I, II, and III were enrolled in the study. The erector spinae plane block group showed lower numerical rating scores up to 12 h, a longer time period for the requirement of first rescue analgesic, and lower total analgesic consumption postoperatively compared to the oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block group. Both blocks were found to have minimal side effects. Conclusions The erector spinae plane block is superior to the oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block in that it affords lower pain scores and a longer duration of analgesia and reduces the total analgesic consumption after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry of India/CTRI/2020/10/028603/ registered on 23 October 2020 http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/rmaindet.php?trialid=47807&EncHid=18303.55562&modid=1&compid=19

Background: Caudal block is a well-known technique for post operative analgesia for infraumbilical surgeries in paediatric patients. Ropivacaine is a long-acting local anaesthetic which is considered safe in paediatric population because of its property to produce differential neural blockade with less motor block along with reduced cardiovascular and neurological toxicity. Dexamethasone is successfully used as an adjunct in caudal blocks for children to reduce pain without inducing any signicant respiratory and hemodynamic effects. This study was done to compare the analgesic efcacy of ropivacaine with ropivacaine-dexamethasone combination in caudal block in paediatric patients. Materials And Methods: This prospective single blind randomized control study included 60 patients of ages 1 to 7 years, who were randomly allocated into two groups, Group R (n=30) who received 0.2% Ropivacaine 1ml/kg, and Group RD (n=30) who received 0.2% ropivacaine with dexamethasone 0.1mg/kg in caudal block. Patients were observed in the peri-operative period, and sedation scores, hemodynamic parameters, duration of analgesia, requirement of rescue analgesics and complications were recorded. Results: Ropivacaine-dexamethasone group was found to have longer duration of analgesia ( Group RD 720-870min ,Group R 360-480min), lesser requirement of rescue analgesic ( Group RD 1.03±0.26, Group R 1.43±0.5), lesser incidence of tachycardia, and fewer complications. Conclusion: Ropivacaine-dexamethasone combination was found to provide better post operative analgesia than ropivacaine alone in paediatric patients.