1 March 2010
Less Painful Tonsillectomies in Children
Posted by admin under: Health .
While more than 281,000 kids undergo a tonsillectomy each year, a recent study shows the injection of a certain chemical prior to surgery can decrease pain and help recovery. Researchers from around the United States injected the tonsils of 65 children, ages 3 to 16, with 1 of 3 chemicals before a scheduled tonsillectomy. One group was treated with isotonic sodium chloride, the second with ropivacaine hydrochloride and isotonic sodium chloride and the last with ropivacaine hydrochloride and clonidine. For 10 days following the treatment and surgery, researchers tested the children’s pain levels, pain medication use, and ability to return to normal activities. Researchers found pain was reduced immediately following the surgery in both ropivacaine groups, but not among the control group receiving isotonic sodium chloride. The third group, treated with ropivacaine and clonidine, also saw a decrease in pain during the third and fifth days following the surgery. Also assessing recovery based on pain medication use, researchers found codeine use was similar on the third day for all groups, but the third group had a decrease on day five. Speed of recovery and return to normal activities also showed the benefit of ropivacaine hydrochloride. While it took between 8.1 and 1.6 days for patients in the control group to return to normal activity, those in the ropivacaine plus clonidine-treated group recovered in 5.8 to 2.9 days. Researchers conclude preoperative injection of ropivacaine with clonidine can ease pain beyond what local anesthetics can do and, therefore, can speed recovery.
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