Thoracic epidural analgesia as an adjunct to general anaesthesia in a case of lung cyst removal in an infant

Abstract

Paediatric thoracic and lumbar epidural analgesia is an integral part in the management of pain in neonates and children. We present a case of left lower lobe lung cyst in a 2 months old infant. The infant underwent excision of the lung cyst under general anaesthesia combined with thoracic epidural analgesia using an epidural catheter inserted via the caudal route. Analgesia was provided using 0.25% bupivacaine with 10mcg of fentanyl. No muscle relaxant was used throughout the surgery. The result showed a marked decrease in the requirement of anaesthetic drugs along with epidural analgesia, reduced surgical stress, and smooth recovery.

Keywords

• Thoracic epidural
• Paediatric surgery
• Fentanyl
• Surgical stress.