is there an advantage in performing peripheral nerve blocks?
GROUND: Primary cleft lip repair is performed in infants under 1 year of age. The efficacy of an infraorbital nerve block vs intravenous fentanyl was compared in our prospective, randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Forty-six infants scheduled for primary cleft lip repair were prospectively randomized to one of two groups: group F that received 2 mcg x kg(-1) of fentanyl intravenously and an infraorbital nerve block with 0.5 ml on each side of preservative-free normal saline, and, group B that received bilateral infraorbital nerve blocks with 0.5 ml on each side of 0.25% bupivacaine and 2 ml of preservative-free saline solution intravenously after induction of anesthesia but prior to surgical incision. Patients were observed by a blinded observer for (i) pain scores using neonatal infant pain score; (ii) need for rescue medication in the anesthesia care unit (PACU), in the short stay unit (SSU) and at home and (iii) feeding parameters including difficulty in feeding, time to first fee
