Comparative Study of Epidural Dexmedetomidine, Fentanyl, and Tramadol as Adjuvant to Levobupivacaine for Lower Limb Orthopedic Surgeries

Background Dexmedetomidine, fentanyl, and tramadol as an adjuvant to local anesthetics improve postoperative analgesia when used in epidural anesthesia. We aimed to compare the efficacy of dexmedetomidine, fentanyl, and tramadol as an adjuvant to levobupivacaine in epidural anesthesia. Materials and methods This was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT). One-hundred twenty patients of either sex, aged 18-60 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I and II, undergoing elective orthopedic procedures under epidural anesthesia were allocated into four groups of 30 each. The dexmedetomidine group received 15 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 25 μg in 2 ml of dexmedetomidine, the fentanyl group received 15 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 50 μg in 2 ml of fentanyl, the Tramadol group received 15 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 100 mg of tramadol in 2 ml, and the control group received 15 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 2 ml normal saline. Patients were monitored for the total duration of analgesia, time of first analgesic requirement, time to reach the T-10 level of sensory block, two-segment regression time of the sensory block, time to reach the motor block (Bromage 3), time to motor regression (Bromage 2), visual analog scale (VAS) scores at 0, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and the first, second, sixth, twelfth, and twenty-fourth hours postoperatively, total analgesic consumption in 24 hours, and complications, if any, were recorded. Results During the inter-group comparison, VAS scores were lower, the duration of analgesia was longer, and the total analgesic consumption was less in the dexmedetomidine group compared to the fentanyl, tramadol, and control groups. The time to onset of sensory block to T-10 and the attainment of motor block up to Bromage 3 was lower in the dexmedetomidine group. Two segment regression and regression of motor block to Bromage score 2 was lowest for the dexmedetomidine group compared to the other groups. A lower incidence of hypotension and bradycardia was noted with dexmedetomidine. Conclusions Dexmedetomidine is the better alternative as an adjuvant to epidural anesthesia, with faster onset, good quality, and prolonged duration with no relevant adverse effects.