Assessment of complications of epidural infusion analgesia in pediatric patients- A clinical study

Abstract

Background: Epidural analgesia is now firmly established in pediatric anaesthetic practice and its popularity continues to grow. The present study was conducted to determine complications due to epidural infusion analgesia in children. Materials & Methods:The present study was conducted on 52 patients of both genders. All children undergoing elective or emergency surgeries under general anaesthesia and given concomitant epidural analgesia for post-operative pain management. In all patients, complications such as at the time of insertion, during maintenance -nerve injuries, and during removal -catheter breakage was recorded. Results: Out of 52 cases, males were 32 and females were 20. Complications in patients were at the time of insertion such as blood trap in 2, failure to identify space in 1, wet tap in 4, epidural hematoma in 1 and nerve injuries in 1. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). During maintenance of epidural such as peri-catheter leaks in 2, catheter migration in 3, during removal such as infections in 5 and other causes were seen in 1 cases. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion:Authors stated that epidural infusion analgesia is an effective and safe method of providing analgesia.