European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background: Efforts to find a better adjuvant in regional anaesthesia are underway since long. Sedation, stable haemodynamics and an ability to provide smooth and prolonged post- operative analgesia are the main desirable qualities of an adjuvant in neuraxial anaesthesia.¹
Epidural administration of α-2 adrenergic agonist is associated with sedation, analgesia, anxiolysis, hypnosis and sympatholysis. Clonidine has been used successfully over the last decade for the said purpose and the introduction of dexmedetomidine has further widened the scope of α-2 agonists in regional anaesthesia.
Material and Methods: A prospective randomized double blind controlled study was planned. 60 patients of ASA I & II physical status aged between 18-60 yrs who underwent elective infraumbilical and lower limb surgical surgery. inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A (n=30) = patients received 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine 15 ml with dexmedetomidine 1µg/kg. Group B (n=30) = patients received 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine 15ml with clonidine 2µg/kg.
Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine is a better adjuvant than clonidine in epidural anaesthesia because of better sedation, anxiolysis, superior intraoperative and postoperative analgesia and stable cardio- respiratory parameters.