Assessment of the Analgesic Effects of Extrapleural Infusion of Ropivacaine in Neonates with Esophageal Atresia (EA) Repair

Insufficient control of post-thoracotomy pain can produce breathing dysfunction and long term staying in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It can increase the incidence of pulmonary complications such as atelectasis, pneumonia and respiratory failure. The aim of this study was to determine the analgesic effect of continuous extrapleural nerve block, using ropivacaine, in neonates younger than 7 days old with esophageal atersia (EA) and the incidence of atelectasis and duration of hospitalization in NICU. For this purpose, from February 2007 till January 2009 in Mofid children’s hospital, 68 neonates under 7 days old whom were candidate for thoracotomy due to esophageal atresia were, randomly divided into two groups in a controlled clinical trial. The cases received extrapleural infusion of ropivacaine 0.5% (0.1 mL/kg/h for 48 h) and controls received acetaminophen 20 mg/kg three times a day via the rectal route. Hemodynamically unstable patients and those who suffered from hospital infections were excluded from the study. After the surgery, all patients had spontaneous breathing without endotracheal tube and stable hemodynamic in NICU. Pain level was determined for each neonate, based on the neonatal infant pain scale (NIPS) grading. The incidence of atelectasis in the first 48 h after operation and throughout the NICU staying were also determined. Results showed that there were no significant difference in the mean age, sex proportions and mean weight between the two groups. The mean pain score in the group received ropivacaine (1.9 ± 0.7) was significantly less than the control group (5.2 ± 0.6) (p < 0.001). Five percent of cases (n = 1) and 100% of the control group (n=20) had pain scores equal or greater than 3 (p < 0.001). The incidence of atelectasis among cases was less than the control group (35% vs. 65% respectively; p = 0.58). Duration of hospitalization in the case group (12 ± 5.6 days) had no significant difference from the control group (13.6 ± 4.8 days) (p = 0.3) In conclusion, the results showed that continuous extrapleural infusion of ropivacaine reduces the pain noticeably and atelectasis relatively, after thoracotomy in neonates younger than 7 days suffering from EA, compared to the acetaminophen group.