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Postoperative Pain Relief in Children: Comparing Caudal Bupivacaine Alone Versus Bupivacaine With Dexmedetomidine for Infra-Umbilical Surgeries Under General Anesthesia

Comparison of Post-Operative Analgesia With Bupivacaine Alone Versus Bupivacaine and Dexmedetomidine, in Caudal Block for Infra-Umbilical Surgeries in Children

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07121764
Enrollment
60
Registered
2025-08-13
Start date
2025-04-27
Completion date
2025-07-26
Last updated
2025-08-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hernia Repair, Orchiopexy, Hypospadias

Keywords

Bupivacaine, Dexmedetomidine, Caudal block, Pediatrics, Postoperative analgesia

Brief summary

This study is being done to find out which medicine combination provides better pain relief after surgery in children. Children who are having surgery below the belly button (called infra-umbilical surgery) will receive general anesthesia and a type of pain-blocking injection called a caudal block. This block helps reduce pain after surgery. The study will compare two types of caudal injections: One group will receive Bupivacaine alone, a commonly used local anesthetic. The other group will receive Bupivacaine combined with Dexmedetomidine, a medicine that might help the pain relief last longer. The main question the researchers want to answer is: Does adding Dexmedetomidine to Bupivacaine increase the duration of pain relief after surgery in children? Researchers will also look at: How long it takes before the child needs the first dose of pain medicine after surgery How much pain medicine is used in the first 24 hours How long any movement problems (motor block) last Whether there are any side effects Each child will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of the two groups. The caudal block will be done after the surgery is completed, while the child is still under anesthesia. The nurse assessing the child's pain will not know which medicine the child received. Children will be monitored for pain using a standard scoring system (FLACC scale) every few hours after surgery. If the pain score is high (7 or more), the child will receive intravenous paracetamol. Researchers will record how long the pain relief lasts, when the first pain medicine is needed, and the total amount of pain medicine used in the first 24 hours. The study aims to help doctors choose the most effective and safe method to reduce post-surgery pain in children.

Interventions

1 ml/kg of 0.25% Bupivacaine will be used for caudal block.

1 ml/kg of 0.25% Bupivacaine PLUS 1 μg/kg Dexmedetomidine in 1 ml Normal Saline will be used for caudal block.

Sponsors

Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER_GOV

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
1 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Elective infra-umbilical Surgeries * ASA Status I and II

Exclusion criteria

* Chronic systemic illness (cardiovascular, pulmonary or renal disease, hepatic impairment) * Allergy to local anesthetics * Coagulation disorder * Local skin infection * Neuropathy

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Analgesia DurationFrom surgery to 24-hours post operativelyDuration of post-operative pain free time (hours): time from surgery to FLACC score ≥7 needing rescue analgesia

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Analgesia ConsumptionFrom surgery to 24-hours post operativelyTotal amount (milligrams) of paracetamol consumed

Countries

Pakistan

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026