Vildan KÖLÜKÇÜ, Yunus Emre KUYUCU, Kenan YALÇIN, Hüseyin BİÇER
Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care - 2026;7(3):514-519
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dorsal penile block on postoperative Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) score in children undergoing circumcision under ketamine-propofol sedation. Methods: The data of 115 children aged 7-9 years who underwent circumcision under ketamine-propofol sedation were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into two groups: those who received a dorsal penile block (group 2) and those who did not (group 1). Demographic characteristics, FLACC score, analgesic requirements, operation duration, recovery unit time, intraoperative mean heart rate, oxygen saturation measurements, and time to first micturition were analyzed in both groups. Results: The mean age of the children was 7.77+/-0.78 years, and no significant difference in age distribution was observed between the groups (p>0.05). Similarly, operation duration, intraoperative heart rate, oxygen saturation measurements, and recovery unit time were comparable between the groups (p>0.05). In group 1, 17 patients (28.3%) had analgesic requirements, and the mean FLACC score was 4.02+/-1.90. Analgesic requirements and FLACC scores were significantly higher in group 1 compared with group 2 (p=0.017 and p<0.001, respectively). Likewise, time to the first analgesic requirement was significantly longer in group 2 (p<0.001). All patients were discharged on the day of surgery and the time to first micturition was less than 6 hours in both groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that the use of dorsal penile nerve block during circumcision under ketamine-propofol sedation significantly reduces FLACC score and analgesic requirements.
