METHODS: This prospective randomized study included children scheduled for day-case inguinal surgery. Children were randomized to receive TAP block using 0.4 mg·kg−1 levobupivacaine as either HVLC (0.2 mL·kg−1of 0.2% levobupivacaine) or LVHC (0.1 mL·kg−1 of 0.4% levobupivacaine). The primary outcome was the number of children who required opioid rescue analgesia postoperatively. Pharmacokinetic profile study of levobupivacaine was also performed.
RESULTS: Seventy patients were equally randomized, and 65 were included in the final analysis. Seventy-one percent of patients did not require any postoperative opioid analgesia. The number of patients who received rescue analgesia was 12 (35%) in the LVHC group and 7 (23%) in the HVLC group (relative risk, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29–1.42; P = .26). Mean pain scores (FLACC [faces, legs, activity, cry, and consolability]) at postanesthesia care unit discharge did not differ between LVHC and HVLC groups, respectively, 0.39 ± 0.86 and 1 ± 1.71 with mean group difference −0.60 (95% CI, −1.27 to 0.06; P = .08). The pharmacokinetic profile of levobupivacaine was comparable in the 2 groups: the mean total and free levobupivacaine peak concentrations were 379 ± 248 and 3.95 ± 3.16 ng·mL−1, respectively, occurring 22.5 ± 11 minutes after injection. The highest total and free levobupivacaine concentrations collected, respectively, 1360 and 15.1 ng·mL−1, remained far below theoretical toxic thresholds.
CONCLUSIONS: In children, quality of postoperative pain control provided by TAP block using levobupivacaine 0.4 mg·kg−1 administered as either HVLC or LVHC did not differ and was associated with a very low risk of local anesthetic systemic toxicity.
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