The efficacy of dexamethasone on pain management for knee arthroscopy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

INTRODUCTION: The impact of dexamethasone on pain management for knee arthroscopy remains controversial. We conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the influence of dexamethasone for knee arthroscopy. METHODS: We search PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through October 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of dexamethasone on pain intensity for patients with dental implant. This meta-analysis is performed using the random-effect model. RESULTS: Four RCTs involving 228 patients are included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control group for knee arthroscopy, dexamethasone supplementation has no notable effect on pain scores at 4 to 6 hours (Std. MD = 0.99; 95% CI = −2.97 to 4.95; P = .62), but exerts significantly favorable promotion to pain scores at 12 hours (Std. MD = −1.06; 95% CI = −1.43 to −0.69; P < .00001), duration of block (Std. MD = 1.87; 95% CI = 0.65 to 3.10; P = .003), time to first analgesic requirement (Std. MD = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.51 to 1.29; P < .00001), analgesic consumption (Std. MD = -1.62; 95% CI = −2.31 to −0.93; P < .00001), and patient satisfaction (Std. MD = 1.15; 95% CI = 0.73 to 1.58; P < .00001). CONCLUSIONS: Dexamethasone supplementation has importantly positive influence on pain control for knee arthroscopy.