Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine on combined posterior lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve blocks, is it effective?

ABSTRACT Background: Many drugs were added bupivacaine to extend the total time of analgesia in the postoperative period. Dexmedetomidine was a successful additive in neuraxial block. It provides stable hemodynamics and better and prolonged analgesia after surgery. By this present work, we aim to assess the role of added dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine during combined sciatic and posterior lumbar plexus blocks during femur surgery regarding period of sensory and motor blocks, efficacy of its analgesic effect and incidence of adverse effects. Methods: Our trial was done on 80 patients undergoing femur surgeries. They were all randomly chosen into two groups which have undergone combined sciatic nerve and posterior lumbar plexus blocks as solo anesthetic technique by peripheral nerve blocks. Group I: patients received bupivacaine 0.5% with no additives. Group II: patients received dexmedetomidine 100 μg with bupivacaine 0.5%. Results: Adding dexmedetomidine prolongs total duration of motor and sensory block significantly by more than twofold (p = 0.001) as well as it took shorter time to achieve loss of pinprick sensation and also a shorter time was required to reach modified Bromage scale grade IV. Patients in Group 1 requested analgesia earlier after surgery, as well as they had significantly higher morphine consumption postoperatively compared to those in Group II (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Adding of dexmedetomidine to the local anesthetic lessen the time till the beginning of the block and lengthen its total duration. It also prolongs analgesia postoperatively and has few side effects