A Comparative Study of Morphine and Clonidine as an Adjunct to Ropivacaine in Paravertebral Block for Modified Radical Mastectomy

Background General anesthesia (GA) is a standard for breast malignant surgery. The issue of postoperative pain as well as the high occurrence of nausea and vomiting have prompted the quest for a superior methodology for tormenting the executives with fewer complications. Over the most recent couple of years, paravertebral block (PVB) has acquired huge fame either in combination with GA or alone for anesthetic management. In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy of morphine and clonidine as an adjunct to ropivacaine in PVB in breast cancer patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy. Methods In this study, a total of 90 patients were divided into the following three groups (30 each) based on a computer-generated random table. Group C (control): PVB with 0.25% ropivacaine (19 ml) 1 ml saline; Group M: PVB with 0.25% ropivacaine (19 ml) + 20 microgram/kg body weight morphine; Group N: PVB with 0.25% ropivacaine (19 ml) + 1.0 microgram/kg body weight clonidine. The postoperative pain intensity was recorded using the visual analog scale (VAS), and sedation was observed by the Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS) score. Results The VAS was similar at zero hours, two hours, and four hours in the postoperative period among all the groups. There was a significant (p = 0.003) difference in VAS from six hours to 20 hours in the postoperative period among the groups. A significant (p < 0.05) difference was observed among the groups at eight hours to 20 hours. The first requirement of analgesia was significantly (p = 0.001) higher in Group N (7.70 ± 1.74) than in Group C (4.43 ± 1.43) and Group M (7.33 ± 2.21). Conclusion Morphine in the PVB provides better postoperative analgesia. The consumption of rescue analgesia was significantly reduced in the morphine group as compared to the clonidine group. The procedure also proved to be safe as no complication was encountered in the PVB in our study.