title: Effect of intravenous dexmedetomidine on spinal anaesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine in lower abdominal surgeries: A prospective randomized control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regional anesthesia is the preferred technique for most of lower abdominal and lower limb surgeries. For decades, lignocaine had been the local anesthetic of choice for spinal anesthesia. Recent studies show that intravenous clonidine and dexmedetomidine can prolong the duration of the spinal anesthesia. Dexmedetomidine is a more suitable adjuvant compared to clonidine due to its more selective α2A receptor agonist activity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine on spinal anesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine in lower abdominal surgeries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective randomized, double-blind control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients of American Society of Anaesthesiologists Grades I and II, 20-60 years age, undergoing lower abdominal surgeries under spinal anesthesia were randomized into two groups by computer-generated table. Group 1: Bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine group; and Group 2: Bupivacaine and saline group. Spinal anesthesia was given with 15 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine. Patients in Group 1 received dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg over 20 min followed by 0.5 μg/kg/h, intravenously till the end of surgery. Patients in Group 2 received normal saline. Observations were analyzed using Student's unpairedt-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean duration of analgesia in group 1 was 219.7 ± 2.55 minutes and in group 2 was 150.2 ± 5.7 minutes. The prolongation in duration of analgesia in dexmedetomidine group was statistically significant. The mean durations of motor blockade in Group 1 and Group 2 were 189.6 ± 2.14 and 158.2 ± 5.31 min, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravenous dexmedetomidine is useful to maintain hemodynamic stability and prolong spinal analgesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Madhavi Unmesh
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Santpur
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally, Nalgonda, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Govind Marutrao
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kahalekar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally, Nalgonda, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Nowreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saraf
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally, Nalgonda, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Losari
keywords: Intravenous dexmedetomidine; lower abdominal surgeries; spinal anesthesia