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Indian Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia 12(4):p 275-283, Oct. - Dec. 2025. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijaa.2349.8471.12425.2
Original Article
Compare the Analgesic Effects of Clonidine and Dexmedetomidine Added to Bupivacaine for Caudal Analgesia in Children Undergoing Lower Abdominal Surgeries: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial
Karthikeyan Palaniyappan, Shri Lakshmi Swarathmika, Sureshkumaran Kandasami
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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Indian Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia 12(4):p 275-283, Oct. - Dec. 2025. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijaa.2349.8471.12425.2
How Cite This Article:
Palaniyappan K, Swarathmika SL, Kandasami S. Compare the analgesic effects of clonidine and dexmedetomidine added to bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing lower abdominal surgeries: a double-blind randomized trial. Ind J Anesth Analg. 2025;12(4):275-83.Timeline
Received : June 12, 2025
Accepted : July 21, 2025
Published : December 30, 2025
Abstract
Background: Caudal epidural analgesia is one of the most popular and commonly performed regional blocks in pediatric anaesthesia. When adjuvants are added to local anaesthetic agents, quality and duration of caudal analgesia are enhanced. This study was conducted to compare analgesic effects of adjuvants clonidine and dexmedetomidine when added to bupivacaine for caudal analgesia amongst children undergoing lower abdominal surgeries.
Material and Methods: It was a hospital based randomized double blinded prospective study, conducted among children aged between 1 and 10 years with ASA grade 1 and 2 who underwent elective infra umbilical surgery. Children were allocated into group three groups group B (received 0.25% bupivacaine 1 ml/ kg), group C (received clonidine 1 mcg/kg with 0.25% bupivacaine 1 ml/kg) and group D (received dexmedetomidine 1mcg/kg with 0.25% bupivacaine 1 ml/kg)
Results: The duration of postoperative analgesia was longest in group D (13.20 hours) when compared with group C (10.47hrs) and group B (6.73 hours) and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between the groups in the FLACC score measured second hourly in the post operative period. FLACC score was lowest in the group D and highest in the group B (p<0.001). This was because of the improved quality of analgesia provided by adding adjuvant dexmedetomidine to local anaesthetic solution.
Conclusion: This study showed that clonidine and particularly dexmedetomidine when combined with bupivacaine significantly improved the quality and duration of caudal analgesia.
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Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
Whether all authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
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Cite this article
Palaniyappan K, Swarathmika SL, Kandasami S. Compare the analgesic effects of clonidine and dexmedetomidine added to bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing lower abdominal surgeries: a double-blind randomized trial. Ind J Anesth Analg. 2025;12(4):275-83.
Licence:
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| Received | Accepted | Published |
|---|---|---|
| June 12, 2025 | July 21, 2025 | December 30, 2025 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijaa.2349.8471.12425.2
Keywords
CaudalLocal anaestheticAdjuvantsBupivacaineClonidineDexmedetomidineSearch for Similar Articles
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Timeline
| Received | June 12, 2025 |
| Accepted | July 21, 2025 |
| Published | December 30, 2025 |
licence
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
