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Apnoea in a former preterm infant after caudal bupivacaine with clonidine for inguinal herniorrhaphy
Author(s) -
Fellmann Claudia,
Gerber Andreas C.,
Weiss Markus
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pediatric anesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.704
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1460-9592
pISSN - 1155-5645
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2002.00924.x
Subject(s) - medicine , bupivacaine , clonidine , anesthesia , inguinal hernia , hernia , surgery
Summary Awake regional anaesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in former preterm infants is suggested to avoid life‐threatening respiratory complications known to occur after general anaesthesia. Caudal anaesthesia is becoming a more popular technique for this purpose. To prolong duration of anaesthesia and to reduce postoperative need for analgesics in these infants, caudal clonidine has been considered useful. We report a former preterm infant, who had two awake caudal anaesthetics for herniotomy within 3 weeks. The first was uneventful with bupivacaine 0.25% at 35 weeks postconceptional age. At 38 weeks, the baby suffered form intra‐ and postoperative apnoeas after inadvertent administration of bupivacaine 0.125% plus clonidine.