Regional Anesthesia to Save the Day for Kids: A Narrative Review of Literature About the Blocks to Know for Common Pediatric Surgeries

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YÖRÜKOĞLU H. U., AKSU C., Yucal N. N., Cesur S., KUŞ A.

Medicina (Lithuania), cilt.62, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
  • Cilt numarası: 62 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/medicina62010162
  • Dergi Adı: Medicina (Lithuania)
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: pediatric pain management, pediatric population, postoperative pain, regional anesthesia
  • Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Postoperative pain management in pediatric patients remains a significant challenge despite improvements in perioperative care. Regional anesthesia techniques applied as part of multimodal analgesia strategies offer the potential to reduce opioid use, accelerate recovery, and minimize side effects such as respiratory depression, nausea, and delayed mobilization. This review examines the clinical applications, advantages, and limitations of regional anesthesia blocks in the context of common pediatric surgical procedures—appendectomy, inguinal hernia repair, circumcision, cholecystectomy, and pyloromyotomy. We provide procedural comparisons in terms of analgesic efficacy, opioid-sparing effects and suitability for ambulatory surgery. In conclusion, regional anesthesia techniques have significant potential to improve postoperative outcomes in pediatric patients. However, block selection should be individualized, considering the type of surgical procedure, patient characteristics, and operator experience. Increasing applicability and routinely implementing ultrasound-guided procedures will encourage the safer and more effective use of these techniques in pediatric anesthesia.