Anaes Vivas · Neuraxial anaesthesia
Caudal block for a child — clinical procedure viva
A clinical viva on the paediatric caudal block: positioning and landmarks, the needle angle and the 'pop', the aspiration test and incremental injection, the dosing and adjuvants, and the complications (intravascular and intrathecal injection, dural puncture, infection, motor block masking complications).
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Prompt
A three-year-old is having an elective circumcision under general anaesthesia, and you plan to add a caudal block for postoperative analgesia. Take me through how you would perform and confirm the block, and the complications you would watch for.
Stimulus
A three-year-old is having an elective circumcision under general anaesthesia, and you plan to add a caudal block for postoperative analgesia. Take me through how you would perform and confirm the block, and the complications you would watch for[1][2].
References4ShowHide
- [1]Hasoon J, Abd-Elsayed A, Viswanath O, et al. The Utility of Caudal Epidural Steroid Injections: A Comprehensive Review. Orthop Rev (Pavia), 2026.PMID 42299144
- [2]Agarwal S, Agrawal S, Kamal G, et al. A comparative study of clonidine and dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to levobupivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing below umbilical surgeries: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Agri, 2026.PMID 41609323
- [4]Bagri V, Manickam A, Parameswari A, et al. Analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided pudendal nerve block versus caudal block for penile surgeries in children. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol, 2026.PMID 42088184
- [5]Masiero BB, Lombardi RA Response to Letter to the Editor: Erector spinae plane block versus caudal block in children: similar analgesia, different stories beneath the surface. Braz J Anesthesiol, 2026.PMID 42331224