An audit of postoperative analgesia after pyloromyotomy

Seventy-two cases of pyloric stenosis treated in our institution in the last five years were reviewed in an attempt to determine the need for postoperative analgesia after pyloromyotomy in infants. All children had their wound infiltrated with a mean dose of 2.16+/-1.43 mg x kg(-1) of bupivacaine, and first analgesia was required 9.12+/-8.04 h after surgery. Paracetamol was the main analgesic administered (average of two doses of approximately 20 mg x kg(-1)). Only three patients required postoperative opioids. In conclusion, there was a low consumption of analgesics after pyloromyotomy. Furthermore, infiltration of the wound appeared to be beneficial since time to administration of first postoperative analgesia was delayed.