A randomised trial to assess the efficacy of ultrasound guided quadratus lumborum block vs caudal block in paediatric population undergoing abdominal surgeries under general anaesthesia.

The Quadratus Lumborum(QL) block is an emerging regional anesthetic technique with significant potential for clinical benefit. It was first described by Blanco in 2007. QL block provides visceral as well as somatic analgesia, relieves acute as well as chronic pain and can be utilized for analgesia at thoracic , abdominal levels as well as lower extremity with minimal side effects. The use of ultrasound (US) guided nerve block has resulted in the revolutionary change in the field of regional anaesthesia in pediatric patients. Studies have shown that QLB have opioid sparing effect in pediatric patient, even in major surgeries. While the literature for the use of QLB in adult patients undergoing major surgeries is abundantly available online the same cannot be said for the paediatric population. This study aims to provide more insight into the efficacy of QLB against the more convential Caudal block in the paediatric population.