Dynamics of stress-response markers and the functional state of the autonomic nervous system as an indicator of sufficient anesthetic support using intravenous infusion of lidocaine in children

Surgical stress causes a wide range of functional changes in different body systems in children: nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine. Antinociceptive protection is the main component of anesthetic support for pediatric patients due to the immaturity of neurohumoral regulation of the central and peripheral nervous systems in childhood and, therefore, the low adaptability of the child’s organism. Purpose - to investigate stress-response markers and indicators of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system to assess the antinociceptive properties of intraoperative continuous intravenous infusion of lidocaine during surgical procedures in children. Materials and methods controlled study included 74 children (boys/girls=50/24) who underwent surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Based on the method of general anesthesia, patients were divided into two groups: the standard general anesthesia with propofol and fentanyl, (the control group - n=46) and the general anesthesia with intraoperative intravenous infusion of lidocaine (the study (lidocaine) group - n=28). The adequacy of antinociceptive protection with different methods of anesthesia during surgical, urological, and traumatological procedures in children was compared by evaluation of stress marker levels and the functional state of the autonomic nervous system. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package «SPSS 20» (SPSS Inc.) version 21.0.0 for Windows. Results. The study found that the intraoperative activation of the sympathetic tone of the autonomic nervous system along with changes in blood glucose and cortisol are less pronounced in children who received a constant infusion of lidocaine. Indicators of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system correlate with postoperative levels of stress markers. Conclusions. Prolonged perioperative infusion of lidocaine at a dose of 0.5-2 mg/kg/hour as a component of multimodal anesthesia during surgical procedures in children provides more pronounced antinociceptive protection than anesthesia with propofol in combination with fentanyl. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of all participating institutions. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.