COMPARISON OF FENTANYL AND DEXMEDETOMIDINE AS AN ADJUVANT TO BUPIVACAINE IN SUPRACLAVICULAR BRACHIAL PLEXUS BLOCK: A RANDOMIZED-DOUBLE BLIND PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objectives: Supraclavicular block of brachial plexus provides complete and reliable anesthesia for upper limb surgeries. Using adjuvant to localanesthetics, blocks can be prolonged to long durations. Peripheral nerve blocks thus help in avoiding the hazards of general anesthesia. We comparedthe sensory blockade, motor blockade, and duration of analgesia with the addition of fentanyl or dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine for supraclavicularbrachial plexus block.Methods: A total of 50 American Society of Anesthesiologist's Physical Status I and II patients scheduled for elective upper limb surgeries undersupraclavicular brachial plexus block were divided into two equal groups in a randomized double-blinded fashion. Group BF received 30 mlbupivacaine with fentanyl 50 μg and Group BD received 30 ml bupivacaine with dexmedetomidine 50 μg. The characteristics for anesthesia andanalgesia were assessed in both groups.Results: Duration of sensory and motor block was 363.4±38.36 minutes and 357±36.77 minutes, respectively, in Group BF while it was452.96±77.12 minutes and 441.52±48.46 minutes in Group BD. There was a statistically significant difference in onset of sensory and motorblock between the two groups. The duration of analgesia (time to requirement of rescue analgesia) in Group BD was longer than in Group BF(471.44±65.88 minutes vs. 366.48±38.02 minutes) with (p<0.0001). There were minimum hemodynamic disturbances and side effects in any groupexcept for Grade 3 sedation score which was more in Group BD.Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine, when added to bupivacaine in supraclavicular brachial plexus block, enhanced the duration of sensory and motor block and also the duration of analgesia, more than when fentanyl was added to bupivacaine.Keywords: Fentanyl, Dexmedetomidine, Bupivacaine, Supraclavicular brachial block