It is well established that preterm inguinal hernias discovered in the NICU pose a significant surgical risk due to the associated co-morbid conditions that accompany these patients. Currently, the standard of care in the United States is general anesthesia. There have been studies that have established that elective outpatient repair of inguinal hernias found in the NICU can be safely performed. Patients that are ready for discharge from the NICU will have inguinal hernia repair prior to leaving. Inguinal hernia repair will also be done on those premature infants that are seen in the Nemours surgical clinic. Spinal anesthesia is currently the most common anesthetic procedure used in the surgical treatment of preterm inguinal hernias after general anesthesia. Caudal catheter technique has been proven to safely provide post-operative care of premature infants. The caudal catheter technique involves placement of a small catheter under ultrasound guidance into the caudal epidural canal to allow re-dosing of local anesthetic during the case and has been shown to be safe and effective management in neonates (Somri M, 2007).