Use of Local Anesthetic (0.25% Bupivacaine) for Pain Control in Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization

Use of Local Anesthetic (0.25% Bupivacaine) for Pain Control in Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

In the Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Unit (CDIU) at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), minimally invasive procedures are performed to diagnose and treat a variety of congenital heart defects. Procedures are performed under general anesthetic and involve inserting a catheter through the skin and into the femoral vein or artery in the groin. In addition, the use of local anesthetic as a pain control regimen just prior to the removal of femoral artery or vein sheaths is used by some but not all cardiac interventionalists. Local anesthetic is infiltrated near the sheath insertion site, at the end of the procedure while the child is under general anesthetic, with the goal of decreasing pain at the insertion site and promoting comfort in the post-operative period. The use of local anesthetic depends on the choice of the individual practitioner and is not currently a routine practice for all patients.

The investigators proposed research seeks to investigate whether the use of subcutaneous bupivacaine reduces pain levels in the post-operative period in children having cardiac catheterization procedures.

A number of differences in pediatric cardiac catheterization procedures exist that limit the transferability of research findings from the adult literature. For example, the majority of pediatric cardiac catheterizations are performed under general anesthetic, and femoral sheaths are removed while under general anesthetic and at the end of the procedure. In contrast in adult clinical practice, procedures are not performed under general anesthetic, and femoral sheaths are removed when patients are awake and often 4 to 6 hours after the end of the procedure. These differences limit the ability to apply research findings in adults to pediatrics, warranting further study of the effects of local anesthetic on femoral site pain in children. As well, studies in adults have examined pain only up to 20 minutes after sheath removal. We seek to investigate the impact of bupivacaine up to 6 hours after cardiac catheterization in children.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Ages 7-18 years
2. Scheduled for cardiac catheterization through the femoral artery and/or vein under general anesthetic
3. Ability to speak and understand English
4. No apparent cognitive impairments

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Known allergies to bupivacaine
2. Impaired renal function
3. Impaired hepatic function