Abstract
Tonsillectomy is one of the
most common surgeries in the world which is accompanied by severe postoperative
pain. Recently local drug infiltration is being used for pain control, but the
results are controversial. Thus we planned a study to evaluate the effect of infiltration
of bupivacaine and clonidine on decreasing post-tonsillectomy pain
and complications in children. Methods: In a double-blind randomized
clinical trial, 140 children (3-12 y) scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy in
Tabriz Children Hospital were studied. The patients were randomized into two
70-patient groups and received intravenous fentanyl (1µg/kg) (group F)
or intravenous fentanyl (1µg/kg) plus infiltration of bupivacaine 0.25%
(0.1ml/kg) and clonidine (1µg/kg) (group BC). Post-operative pain was evaluated
using Wong-Baker Face Pain Scale (FPS). Results: The pain score was
significantly lower in the BC patients in comparison with group F (p<0.001).
The need for postoperative analgesics was also lower in BC group (p<0.001).
Frequency of subjects with intraoperative bleeding was significantly lower in
the BC group compared with F group (1.4% vs. 10%; p=0.031). However, frequency
of subjects with intraoperative pain was not significantly different between
the two groups (8.5% vs. 11.4%; p=0.573).