Download – Paediatric caudal anaesthesia

Caudal anaesthesia (CA) is epidural anaesthesia of the cauda equina roots in the sacral canal, accessed through the sacral hiatus. CA is a common paediatric regional technique that is quick to learn and easy to perform, with high success and low complication rates.

CA provides high quality intraoperative and early postoperative analgesia for sub-umbilical surgery. In children, CA is most effectively used as adjunct to general anaesthesia and has an opioid-sparing effect, permitting faster and smoother emergence from anaesthesia.

 O Raux, C Dadure, J Carr, A Rochette, X Capdevila