Comparative evaluation of postoperative analgesia between ultrasound guided lumbar erector spinae plane block and ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric block in children undergoing inguinal hernia surgeries: A Randomised Controlled trial

Inguinal hernia surgery is a daycare procedure. Paediatric patients who are undergoing inguinal hernia surgeries experience pain intraoperatively and postoperatively which persists as a chronic pain. Caudal analgesia was the preferred regional technique till date. However this technique has its own limitations like short duration of action and complications because of the drug administration in the epidural space. To overcome these we are comparing ultrasound guided Erector spinae plane block and ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block which are plane blocks. They are simple effective and with less complications. The postoperative anlagesia will be evaluated using Wong bakers faces pain rating scale and postoperative sedation will be evaluated using Ramsay sedation score. ASA I and II patients of age 3 to 8 years are included in the study who are undergoing inguinal hernia surgery on an elective basis. The primary outcome will be to evaluate the time to first rescue analgesia between two groups in the postoperative period. The secondary outcome is to compare the incidence of the complications like apnea, desaturation and hypotension.

The study will be conducted for a period of 1 year.

Sample size was calculated by assuming mean difference in time to first rescue analgesia between ilioinguinal iliohypogastric nerve block group and Erector spinae plane block group as 250 mins as per El.Emam Em et al. The required sample size will be 26 per group approximately. Considering drop out ratio of 10% 3 patients added to each group making approximately 29 in each group.