Protocol of DEXPED trial: efficacy of intravenous dexamethasone, administered at the time of analgesic blocking of the lower limb, on postoperative pain in children: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial

Introduction Dexamethasone is a drug used to prolong the postoperative analgesia in children after peripheral nerve blockade, although the dose usually used (0.2 mg/kg) has not been studied yet. This study is a monocentric, prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study in a university hospital in France. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of 0.2 mg/kg intravenous dexamethasone on early postoperative pain in children aged 6-15 years, who require a lower limb peripheral nerve block following general anaesthesia. Methods and analysis Eighty children, aged 6-15 years, undergoing surgery for which peripheral nerve lower limb blockade with ropivacaine following general anaesthesia are included. The inclusion criteria are: children aged 6-15 years, with American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status I or II and scheduled for surgery requiring a peripheral block of the lower limb for analgesic purposes, with a preoperative anaesthetic evaluation between 90 and 2 days before the surgery, with informed consent from legal representatives. General anaesthesia is performed. The patient receives, according to his group, either 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone intravenously at the start of anaesthetic induction or the same volume of placebo. Then, the peripheral block of the lower limb is performed with ropivacaine. The primary outcome is the total doses of opioid administered (in mg/kg of morphine equivalent) within 24 hours postoperatively. The secondary objectives are the evaluation of the effect of a single-dose intravenous dexamethasone at the time of anaesthetic induction, on the following parameters: onset of postoperative pain, duration of motor block, postoperative nausea and vomiting within 24 hours. Ethics and dissemination This study is conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by the French national ethics committee and the National Drug Safety Agency. Findings of this study will be widely disseminated through conference presentations, reports, factsheets and academic publications.