1Senior Resident, Dept. of Cardiac Anesthesia, LPS Institute of Cardiology, Kanpur
2Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anesthesiology, KGMU, Lucknow
3Professor, Dept. of Anesthesiology, KGMU, Lucknow
4Professor, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, KGMU, Lucknow
5Assistant Professor, Dept. of Cardiac Anesthesia, LPS Institute of Cardiology, Kanpur
*Corrosponding author: Dr. Rajesh Raman Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anesthesiology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Email: ramanrajesh83@gmail.com
Online published on 16 August, 2018.
Recent studies have shown that dexmedetomidine improves peripheral nerve blocks.
This study compared the supraclavicular block (SCB) using a mixture of dexmedetomidine and 30 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine with 30 ml 0.5% bupivacaine and test whether the former is better than or equal to the latter.
This prospective randomised and double blind study included 60 patients belonging to ASA grade I and II planned to undergo upper limb surgery under SCB.
Patients were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either 30 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine (Group B, n=30) or a 30 ml mixture of 30 μg dexmedetomidine and 0.25% bupivacaine (Group BD, n=30) for ultrasound guided SCB. Primary outcome variables in this study were: success rate of brachial plexus block, duration of sensory and motor block and duration of analgesia.
All blocks were successful in both groups. Onset and duration of sensory and motor block, quality of intraoperative conditions, motor block intensity and side effects were similar in both groups. Duration of analgesia was statistically greater in Group BD.
SCB by a combination of dexmedetomidine and 30 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine is better or at least similar to that produced by 30 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine alone.
Dexmedetomidine, Bupivacaine, Ultrasound guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block
