Comparison Effect of Intravenous Ketamine with Sufentanil for Pain Relief during Painful Procedures in Children with Leukemia

ABSTRACT Background: Children with leukemia would go through different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures during their process of their disease, including lumbar punctureand bone marrow aspiration; these procedures are usually associated with pain andstress. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two combinations ofPropofol-Ketamine and Propofol-Sufentanil on sedation and analgesia during painfulprocedures in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Methods: In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 70 children with acutelymphoblastic leukemia undergoing painful procedures were randomly allocated intotwo parallel groups and took Intravenous Ketamine (1 mg/kg/dose) or Sufentanil (0.5mcg/kg/dose). Both groups received Intravenous propofol (1.2mg/kg). Hemodynamicvariables and analgesic effect were compared between groups.Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of thechanges in vital signs at the time before, during and after the procedure. But, theincidence of patient’s movements and the need for repeated propofol boluses wassignificantly lower in the Ketamine group compared to the Sufentanil group (P: 0.008).Conclusion: Ketamine is a good choice for conducting painful procedures on childrenwith acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ketamine might be a good option for pain reliefduring painful procedures such as intrathecal injection, bone marrow aspiraion.Ketamine could also be more effective in controlling the movements and decreasing theneed for repeating the drug dosage compared to the Sufentanil.