Wide range of perioperative drugs and doses used in inguinal hernia repairs for premature infants

Objective Characterize the types and doses of commonly administered perioperative drugs in inguinal hernia (IH) repair for premature infants. Study design Single-center, retrospective cohort study. Results In total, 112 premature infants underwent IH repair between 2010 and 2015. Twenty-one drugs were used during IH repair, with each infant receiving a median seven drugs. Acetaminophen (88%), bupivacaine (84%), cisatracurium (74%), sevoflurane (72%), and propofol (71%) were the most commonly used agents. Thirty-two infants underwent additional procedures with IH repair. Additional procedures were not associated with a higher number of perioperative drugs, however infants with additional procedures were exposed to higher cumulative doses of cisatracurium (p < 0.001) and fentanyl (p = 0.002). Conclusion There is wide variability in the drugs and doses used for a common surgical procedure in this population, even within a single center. Future research should focus on the safety and efficacy of the most commonly used perioperative drugs described in this study.