الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Introduction Superficial cervical plexus block is a popular block for thyroid operations. Dexamethasone was reported as a useful adjuvant to local anesthetics in different peripheral nerve blocks. The aim of this work is to investigate the benefit of adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine in superficial cervical block Methods Twenty eight patients scheduled for thyroid operations were included in the study. All patients received superficial cervical plexus block by 15 ml bupivacaine after induction of general anesthesia. Patients were divided into two groups: group D (Dexamethasone group, n=14) received 8 mg dexamethasone in addition to Bupivacaine, group C (Control group, n=14) received 2 ml normal saline in addition to Bupivacaine. Ptients were assessed intraoperatively and postoperatively for hemodynamics, pain score, and duration of postoperative analgesia. Results: Visual analogue scale (VAS) was lower in group D compared to group C. Durations of analgesia and sensory block were longer in group D {21.8hrs±5.3 vs 12.2hrs±7.7, P=0.0001*}{4.8hrs±0.2 vs 4.2hrs±0.2, P=0.0001*} respectively. Total postoperative analgesic consumption was lower in group D. No difference was observed between the two study groups regarding demographic data, hemodynamic data, and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Conclusion Adding dexamethasone (8mg) to Bupivacaine in superficial cervical plexus block prolongs the duration of analgesia, and reduces postoperative analgesic requirements after thyroid operations. |