Comparison of Dexmedetomidine and Magnesium Sulfate as Adjuvants with Ropivacaine for Spinal Anesthesia in Infraumbilical Surgeries and Postoperative Analgesia

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative pain is a major cause of fear and anxiety in hospitalized patients and so if patients remain pain-free during this period, they can cooperate with the circumstances well, leading to early recovery. Over the last two decades, there has been considerable revival of interest in the use of regional anesthesia techniques for surgery and pain management. As very few studies have been conducted using ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)) as adjuvants, the present study was undertaken with primary aims to compare the hemodynamic stability, onset and duration of sensory and motor block and with secondary aims of the postoperative analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine and MgSO(4) along with ropivacaine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After getting the Institutional Ethics Committee approval, this study was conducted on fifty patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical Status I and II aged between 20 and 65 years of either sex and scheduled to undergo infraumbilical surgeries under spinal anesthesia. They were divided into two groups of 25 each. Group D patients received 3 ml of 0.75% isobaric ropivacaine hydrochloride with 10 μg of dexmedetomidine whereas Group M patients received 75 mg of MgSO(4) in the place of dexmedetomidine. The quality of surgical analgesia and quality of intraoperative muscle relaxation were assessed and graded. RESULTS: We found out that onset of sensory and motor block was earlier in Group D in comparison to Group M. There was a significant reduction in the time to the first rescue analgesia in group receiving intrathecal dexmedetomidine. CONCLUSION: It is concluded from our study that ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine group are better than ropivacaine plus MgSO(4) in providing early onset of sensory and motor block as well as in providing postoperative analgesia.