Comparison of Erector Spinae Plane block versus Caudal Epidural block in pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia- a randomised study

Aim of the study is to compare the effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block with the effect of Caudal Epidural Block in pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. Study will be a single blind randomised study with blinding of outcome assessors and will be conducted in AIIMS Bhopal under the Department of Anesthesiology, and Department of Pediatric Surgery. Both erector spinae plane block and caudal epidural block will be proceeded under the Ultrasound guidance. Primary outcome to be compared will be the duration of post operative analgesia defined as time to first request of rescue analgesia. Randomisation will be done using computer generated random number table and allocation concealment will be done using sequentially numbered opaque sealed envelopes. The study will include all pediatric patient of age 1- 9 years of either sex, ASA(American society of Anesthesiology classification of physical status) grade 1 and 2 undergoing elective and emergency lower abdominal surgeries. Patients having any contraindications to regional technique, any coagulation disorder, local infection around site of block, any anatomical deformity, progressive neurological disorder, any cutaneous anomaly, any hypersensitivity to the local anesthetics or inabilty to identify the landmarks; will be excluded from the study. A standard anesthesia technique will be followed in all the patients included in the study. Well informed written consent will be taken from the patients included in the study. All the records will be confidential, and the patient identity would be known to the chief investigatorand would not be released to anybody else. Participation in the study will be voluntary and refusal to participate will not influence care of the participants in the hospital anyway.