Tonsillectomy (tonsil removal) is a very common surgery for children, but it often causes significant throat and ear pain afterward. Doctors usually inject a numbing medicine, such as bupivacaine, into the area around the tonsils to help control this pain. However, these injections require needles, which can cause swelling, distort tissue, and slightly increase the risk of bleeding or infection, and the pain relief typically only lasts for about 4 to 6 hours.
This study is investigating a needle-free alternative to see if it provides effective pain relief. The researchers are testing a medication called magnesium sulfate, which blocks certain pain receptors and can be applied directly to the surgical site using a soaked gauze pad instead of a needle injection.
The main goal of this clinical trial is to compare how well topical magnesium sulfate relieves pain compared to standard bupivacaine injections in children undergoing tonsillectomy.
The study will include 40 children between the ages of 8 and 15 years old. During the surgery, while under general anesthesia, half of the children will receive the topical magnesium sulfate pad applied to the surgical area for 5 minutes, and the other half will receive the standard bupivacaine injection. After the surgery, researchers will measure the children's pain levels using visual pain scales featuring faces and numbers. They will also track how much extra pain medication the children need, how well their surgical wounds heal, and if they experience any adverse effects.
Pediatric patients aged 8-15 years undergoing elective tonsillectomy.
Patients younger than 8 years or older than 15 years.
Known allergy to magnesium sulfate or bupivacaine.
Pre-existing neurological disorders (for example, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy) that could affect pain perception or magnesium metabolism.
Pre-existing cognitive impairment or developmental delay affecting pain assessment.