Peribulbar block anesthesia may be better for pediatric vitreoretinal surgery

NEW DELHI, India — Peribulbar block appears to be a safe and effective alternative to intravenous opioid anesthesia for pediatric vitreoretinal surgery, according to a study conducted here.

Rajeshwari Subramaniam, MD, and colleagues of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, evaluated 85 children between 6 and 13 years of age in a prospective, randomized, single-blind study. Forty-two children received peribulbar block while 43 children received intravenous meperidine 1 mg/kg after induction of general anesthesia.

Children who received peribulbar block had a significantly lower incidence of intraoperative oculocardiac reflex (P = .0001); the number of children requiring opioid was significantly lower with peribulbar block as well (P = .008).

Additionally, significantly more children who received peribulbar block were free of pain upon awakening after surgery and did not vomit throughout the postoperative period.

The study was published in the January-February issue of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.