Assessment of Duration of Analgesia after Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block Using Bupivacaine With and Without Intravenous Dexamethasone: A Comparative Observational Study

Aim: To compare and analyze the duration of analgesia after giving supraclavicular block using bupivacaine with and without intravenous dexamethasone.

Methodology: The study was done in a tertiary care teaching hospital over 06 months. All eligible 50 patients were divided into two groups of 25 each. Group A patients receiving block by 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine were compared with Group B patients receiving 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine along with 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone. Duration of analgesia was calculated from the time of pain relief after block to the appearance of pain or Numerical Scale Rating (NRS) more than four. Any other complications were also noted. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21, IBM Inc. As the data was found to be normally distributed bivariate analyses were performed using an independent t-test.

Results: Mean duration of analgesia was found to be significantly more among subjects given Analgesia with bupivacaine and iv dexamethasone as compared to subjects given Analgesia with bupivacaine only as p<0.05. No significant difference was seen in the distribution of complications like nausea and vomiting among the two study group when compared using Chi-square test as p>0.05.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the addition of dexamethasone supraclavicular brachial plexus block provides prolongation of the duration of the block and decreases the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting that may have a great impact on patient comfort.