Comparing Local Anesthetic Alone vs. adding Dexmedetomidine to Local Anesthetic in Bier Block: A Comparative Study in Libyan patients

Abstract

Background:

Bier Block is a commonly used regional anesthesia technique for surgeries involving the extremities. Use of lidocaine as a local anesthetic can be enhanced with adding another agent. Dexmedetomidine enhances the efficacy and safety of Bier Block.

Aims: to assess the benefit of adding dexmedetomidine to lidocaine in the the forearm and hand surgery with a focus on patient recovery and postoperative analgesia

Methods: Two groups of seventy patients (n=35 each)  were recruited for this prospective trial. The block's analgesic basis in both groups was 10 mL of 1% lidocaine, with group 2 receiving 1 mcg/kg dexmedetomidine as a supplement and group 1 receiving no supplementation. Assessment included: patients' sensory block length, the timing of their initial analgesic request after operation, and the frequency of those requests during the first six hours following surgery (1,2,3), and the rate of adverse events, including hypotension, bradycardia, and sedation.

Results: The duration of sensory block of the in group 2 (46.04 ± 5.82 min) was longer than group 1 (29.03 ± 5.37) (P < 0.001). In comparison to control group (group 1), time of the first postoperative analgesic request among experimental group was later (P = 0.6), and had less frequent requests of analgesics within the first post-operative 12 h (P < 0.001).  Conclusion: According to the results of our work, the sensory block duration is prolonged during forearm and hand surgery when dexmedetomidine is added to lidocaine.