A pioneering study published in the Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (January 2024) has found that ropivacaine provides significantly better postoperative analgesia compared to lidocaine in children undergoing cleft palate repair. The double-blinded, randomized controlled trial led by Dr. Yu Gaofeng and his team adds valuable insights into pediatric postoperative care, potentially steering clinical practices towards refined pain management strategies for young patients.
Headed by a team of experts from the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center and Jinan University in China, including Dr. Jin Shangyi, Dr. Chen Jinghui, Dr. Xie Haihang, Dr. Jin Saifen, Dr. Chen Yiyang, and Dr. Song Xingrong, the research addresses a critical aspect of pediatric surgery—effective pain control with minimal side effects.
The clinical trial (DOI: 10.1016/j.jormas.2024.101762) enrolled 64 children scheduled for cleft palate repair to compare the efficiency of two analgesics: 1% lidocaine and 0.2% ropivacaine. The study measured several outcomes, including the average postoperative pain score, pain scores at various time intervals post-surgery, the consumption of rescue analgesics like flurbiprofen and hydromorphone, the effectiveness of nurse-controlled analgesia (NCA) pumps, and the incidence of potentially much-dreaded side effects such as vomiting, bradycardia, and respiratory depression.
The groundbreaking study concluded that the group of children who received ropivacaine had considerably lower postoperative average pain scores (1.27±0.28) compared to the lidocaine group (1.75±0.29, P<0.001). In addition, these children showed superior comfort at multiple postoperative time points as well. The trial further revealed a reduction in the need for additional rescue analgesia among those treated with ropivacaine, suggesting stronger and longer-lasting pain control.
Dr. Song Xingrong, the corresponding author, has expressed that the results underline ropivacaine as an efficacious local analgesic for operative region infiltration, delivering a consistent analgesic effect that would minimize a child’s discomfort and pain after the surgical repair of a cleft palate.
Comparatively, there was no notable difference in the incidence of side effects between the ropivacaine and lidocaine groups, suggesting that the increased efficacy of ropivacaine does not come at the cost of a higher risk of adverse events.
Implications for Pediatric Surgery
This level of detailed pain assessment is especially important in pediatric populations where communication barriers and the subjectivity of pain introduce challenges in clinical settings. Reducing pain is not only a matter of comfort but also influences the child’s recovery process, postoperative behavior, and the overall experience of healthcare, which can have long-lasting psychological implications.
The authors have expressed the need for pediatric pain management to be tailored, precise, and cognizant of the delicate physiology of children. They advocate for a restructuring of the general approach toward postoperative analgesia in cleft palate repairs—one that is backed by robust scientific evidence as provided by their research.
The study asserts the importance of adopting a multimodal analgesia regime tailored to the pediatric patient’s unique needs. It adds credence to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of ropivacaine as a potentially preferable alternative to lidocaine in the context of postoperative pain management for children.
Study Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
While the trial’s findings are compelling, the authors acknowledge that the research has its limitations. One key limitation is the scope of diversity within the study population which could affect the external validity. Moreover, the trial was limited to a single type of surgical procedure, which means the results might not be generalizable to other types of surgeries.
Future research is recommended to test the efficacy of ropivacaine in broader clinical contexts, including various surgical procedures and a more diverse pediatric population. Long-term follow-up studies would also be valuable to assess any delayed effects on analgesia or side effects.
The study carries a “Declaration of competing interest,” with the authors stating no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the outcomes of their work, ensuring the integrity and reliability of the results presented.
Keywords
1. Postoperative Analgesia in Children
2. Ropivacaine vs Lidocaine
3. Cleft Palate Repair Pain Management
4. Pediatric Surgical Analgesia
5. Effective Pain Control in Pediatric Surgery
References
1. Yu, Gaofeng, et al. “Comparison of postoperative analgesia in children following ropivacaine and lidocaine surgical field infiltration with epinephrine for cleft palate repair: A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.” Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 125.5 (2024): 101762. DOI:10.1016/j.jormas.2024.101762.
2. McNicol, E. D., Tzortzopoulou, A., Cepeda, M. S., Francia, M. B., Farhat, T., & Schumann, R. (2014). Single-dose intravenous paracetamol or propacetamol for prevention or treatment of postoperative pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 112(6), 1227-1241.
3. Bosenberg, A. (2018). Benefits of regional anesthesia in children. Pediatric Anesthesia, 28(5), 398-403.
4. Kaur, A., Singh, R. B., Tripathi, R. K., Choubey, S., & Agrawal, A. (2017). Adequacy of postoperative pain relief in children: A subjective analysis of feedback from children and their guardians. Anesthesia, Pain & Intensive Care, 21(2), 192-197.
5. Lönnqvist, P. A., & Morton, N. S. (2015). Postoperative analgesia in infants and children. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 115(Suppl 2), ii59-ii68.