COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ROPIVACAINE ALONE VERSUS ROPIVACAINE WITH DEXMEDETOMIDINE IN SUPRACLAVICULAR BRACHIAL PLEXUS BLOCK

This is a randomized controlled study is to compare the sensory and motor effects after injection of ropivacaine 0.75% plain and ropivacaine 0.75% with dexmedetomidine as adjunct, used for supraclavicular brachial plexus block in 60 ASA grade I & II. Ropivacaine New long acting drug similar in structure, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics like bupivacaine but lower toxicity pure s-enantiomer it shows more sensory blockade Lower cardiac toxicity. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist was introduced into clinical practice as a short term sedative (<24hrs) and has been targeted for use in the perioperative period. Dexmedetomidine decreases sympathetic tone with attenuation of neuroendocrine and hemodynamic responses to anaesthesia and surgery, reduces anaesthetic requirement, causes sedation and analgesia. The current study is designed to test the hypothesis that dexmedetomidine when added as an adjuvant to local anaesthetic in supraclavicular brachial plexus block prolongs the duration of sensory and motor block. We assessed time of onset, duration of sensory blockade and also time of onset & duration of motor blockade.