The combination of caudal analgesia and light general anaesthesia has been used in 290 lower abdominal and urogenital operations. The advantages of this type of anaesthesia in the paediatric age group is discussed. The technique used by the authors at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, is described and the complications reviewed in the literature are outlined.
References
1.
BromageP. (1967): “Physiology and pharmacology of epidural analgesia”, Anesthesiology, 28, 592.
2.
CampbellM. F. (1933): “Caudal anaesthesia in children”, J. Urol. (Baltimore, 30, 245.
3.
CovinoB. (1971): “Comparative clinical pharmacology of local anaesthetic agents”, Anesthesiology, 35, 2.
4.
FischerA., and JamesM. (1968): “Blood loss during major vaginal surgery”, Brit. J. Anaesth., 40, 710.
5.
KortunaA. (1967): “Caudal analgesia—a simple safe technique in pediatric surgery”, Brit. J. Anaesth., 39, 2.
6.
LoureyC. J. (1973): “Epidural anaesthesia in pediatric surgery—Evaluation of bupivicaine”, (In preparation).
7.
Massey-DawkinsC. J. (1969): “Analysis of complications of epidural and caudal block”, Anaesthesia, 24, 554.
8.
McGownR. (1972): “Accidental marrow sampling during caudal anaesthesia”, Brit. J. Anaesth., 44, 613.
9.
MoirD. (1968): “Blood loss during major vaginal surgery—A statistical study of the influence of general anaesthesia and epidural analgesia”, Brit. J. Anaesth., 40, 233.
10.
RushtonF. (1964): “Epidural anaesthesia in pediatric surgery—Present status in the Hamilton General Hospital”, Canad. Anaesth. Soc. Journal, 11, 1.
11.
SpiegelP. (1950): “Caudal anaesthesia in pediatric surgery”, Anesthesiology, 11, 709.
