Assessment of Intraoperative Hemodynamics and Recovery Characteristics in Pediatric Patients Receiving Buprenorphine and Propofol Anesthesia for Cleft Palate Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Children with cleft palate are usually operated on before 18 months of age. Cleft palate surgery demands stable hemodynamic parameters, a bloodless surgical field, and an awake and pain-free child after surgery.

AIMS: We aimed to study the anesthesia technique using buprenorphine and propofol for cleft palate surgery.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The design involves prospective observational study. The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: After the Institutional Ethics Committee approval, 42 patients aged 6 months to 12 years undergoing cleft palate surgery were enrolled. Anesthesia induction commenced with sevoflurane or propofol 3 mg.kg-1 . After intubation, buprenorphine 3 μg.kg-1 was given, and propofol infusion was started at 2-8 mg.kg-1 .h-1 . Hemodynamic parameters, awakening time, and surgeon's satisfaction score were noted. After extubation, pain score, emergence agitation (EA) score, sedation score, recovery score, and adverse events were noted.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: All statistical analyses were performed using the 20.0 version of the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software program. Continuous data were summarized as mean and standard deviation, and were analyzed using a two-sided Student's unpaired t -test. Categorical data were represented using frequencies and proportions.

RESULTS: The single dose of buprenorphine with propofol infusion started immediately postintubation causes a significant decrease in heart rate after 1 h. This contributed to a favorable operative field, increasing the surgeon's satisfaction score. In the recovery room, patients were essentially pain-free till 2.5 h after surgery, with only one patient requiring rescue analgesia. Furthermore, 90% of patients showed a smooth and calm recovery with no EA. The Steward's recovery score remained high throughout without any complication.

CONCLUSIONS: In cleft palate surgeries, a single-dose buprenorphine 3 μg.kg-1 and propofol maintenance infusion 2-8 mg.kg-1 .h-1 were effective in maintaining hemodynamic parameters and a bloodless surgical field and managing postoperative pain with a good recovery profile.