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Cassandra Hoffmann,1 Angela Snow,2 Celine Chedid,3 Carol Abi Shadid,3 Eiichi A Miyasaka4 1Pediatric Anesthesiology, Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, OH, USA; 2Pediatric Anesthesiology, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Wilmington, DE, USA; 3Pediatric Anesthesiology, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA; 4Pediatric Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USACorrespondence: Eiichi A Miyasaka, Pediatric Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, 11100 Euclid Ave, MAC 1000, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA, Tel +1 216-844-3015, Fax +1 216-844-8647, Email eiichi.miyasaka@uhhospitals.orgPurpose: Neonates present unique challenges for pediatric surgical teams. To optimize outcomes, it is imperative to standardize perioperative care by using early extubation and multimodal analgesic techniques. The quadratus lumborum (QL) block provides longer duration and superior pain relief than other single-injection abdominal fascial plane techniques. The purpose of this case series was to report our initial experience with QL blocks in neonatal patients treated with intestinal ERAS.Patients and Methods: Ten neonates requiring intestinal surgery at a single tertiary care center who received QL blocks between December 2019 and April 2022 for enhanced recovery were studied. Bilateral QL blocks were performed with 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% ropivacaine per side with an adjuvant of 1 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine.Results: Gestational age at birth ranged from 32.2 to 41 weeks. The median age, weight, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at the time of surgery was 5 days [range 7.5 hours, 60 days], 2.84 kg [range 1.5, 4.5], and 3, respectively. Bilateral QL blocks were performed without complications in all patients. Two patients were outside the neonatal range from birth to surgery, but were under 42 weeks gestational age when corrected for prematurity. All patients were ex

Shelley Ohliger, Alain Harb, Caroline Al-Haddadin, David P Bennett, Tiffany Frazee, Cassandra Hoffmann Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USACorrespondence: Shelley Ohliger, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA, Tel +1 216 844 7340, Fax +1 216 844 3780, Email Shelley.Ohliger@UHhospitals.orgPurpose: This study aims to evaluate if the addition of deep parasternal plane blocks to a pre-existing enhanced recovery pathway for pediatric cardiac surgery improves outcomes.Patients and Methods: A retrospective review through an EMR query from June 2019 to June 2021 was performed for patients less than 18 years of age who underwent cardiac surgery via median sternotomy and were extubated immediately following surgery in a single academic tertiary care hospital. Patients receiving deep parasternal blocks as part of an enhanced recovery protocol were compared to similar patients from the year prior to block implementation.Results: The primary outcome was intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were pain scores, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay and time to first oral intake. There was a statistically significant reduction in intraoperative opioid administration and pain scores in the first 24 hours post-operatively. There was also a statistically significant reduction in ICU length of stay. There was no statistically significant difference in post-operative opioid consumption and time to first oral intake.Conclusion: Bilateral deep parasternal blocks may reduce opioid consumption, provide effective postoperative pain control, and result in decreased length of intensive care unit stay across both simple and complex pediatric cardiac procedures when added to a pre-existing enhanced recovery protocol.Keywords: en