Seizure After Abdominal Surgery in an Infant Receiving a Standard-Dose Postoperative Epidural Bupivacaine Infusion.

Abstract

We present the case of an otherwise healthy 12-month-old girl undergoing repair of a giant omphalocele, who experienced a postoperative seizure attributed to accumulation of bupivacaine from an epidural infusion. Whereas a standard dose was used, this patient experienced temporary liver dysfunction postoperatively, presumably from elevated intra-abdominal pressures, predisposing her to toxicity after a prolonged infusion. This case illustrates how the type of surgery can influence the margin of safety of routinely used neuraxial local anesthetic doses in infants and young children.