ABSTRACT
Background@#For children with cleft palates, surgeries at a young age are necessary to reduce feeding or phonation difficulties and reduce complications, especially respiratory tract infections and frequent sinusitis. We hypothesized that dexmedetomidine might prolong the postoperative analgesic duration when added to bupivacaine during nerve blocks. @*Methods@#Eighty patients of 1-5 years old were arbitrarily assigned to two equal groups (forty patients each) to receive bilateral suprazygomatic maxillary nerve blocks. Group A received bilateral 0.2 mL/kg bupivacaine (0.125%; maximum volume 4 mL/side). Group B received bilateral 0.2 mL/kg bupivacaine (0.125%) + 0.5 µg/kg dexmedetomidine (maximum volume 4 mL/side). @*Results@#The modified children’s hospital of Eastern Ontario pain scale score was significantly lower in group B children after 8 hours of follow-up postoperatively (P < 0.001). Mean values of heart rate and blood pressure were significantly different between the groups, with lower mean values in group B (P < 0.001). Median time to the first analgesic demand in group A children was 10 hours (range 8-12 hr), and no patients needed analgesia in group B. The sedation score assessment was higher in children given dexmedetomidine (P = 0.03) during the first postoperative 30 minutes. Better parent satisfaction scores (5-point Likert scale) were recorded in group B and without serious adverse effects. @*Conclusions@#Addition of dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg to bupivacaine 0.125% has accentuated the analgesic efficacy of bilateral suprazygomatic maxillary nerve block in children undergoing primary cleft palate repair with less postoperative supplemental analgesia or untoward effects.
ABSTRACT
Cardioplegic arrest during cardiopulmonary bypass [CPB] is essential for the majority of cardiac surgical procedures; Cardioplegia protects the myocardium by providing continuous or intermittent oxygen while simultaneously reducing cardiomyocyte oxygen demand, but it does not inherently increase the ischemic-reperfusion injury tolerance of the cardiomyocytes. Aminophylline and milrinone by their phosphodiesterase inhibitor and anti-inflammatory activity may decrease this type of injury. This study has been designed to compare between the protective effect of aminophylline and milrinone over the heart during open heart surgery for valve replacement with CPB. Sixty adult patients undergoing elective single valve replacement were randomized to receive aminophylline 5 mg/kg [n=20], milrinone 50 microg/kg [n=20], or normal saline as control group [n=20] through intravenous infusion 10 minutes before the aortic cross-clamping. The cardiac troponin I, inotrope score, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay and other hemodynamic variables were measured and recorded. There were no differences between the three groups with regard to clinical variables. Cardiac troponin I raised significantly after declamping in the three groups, however it was significantly lower in aminophylline and milrinone group compared to control group immediately after CPB and after 8 hours with no significant differences between aminophylline and milrinone group, inotrope score duration of mechanical ventilation and length of ICU stay showed no significant differences between the three groups. Administration of aminophylline or milrinone reduces the subclinical myocardial injury with no difference between both agents and with no effect on the hemodynamic parameters or short term clinical outcome in patients undergoing single valve replacement with CPB