The Sensory-Motor Changes in Patients Undergoing Lower Limb Orthopedic Surgery with Spinal Anesthesia by Two Drug Combinations of Ropivacaine Plus Dexmedetomidine and Ropivacaine Plus Fentanyl: A Clinical Trial Study

The present study aimed to evaluate the sensory-motor changes in patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery with spinal anesthesia by two drug combinations of ropivacaine plus dexmedetomidine and ropivacaine plus fentanyl.

In a clinical trial study, 90 patients underwent lower extremity orthopedic surgery with spinal anesthesia were selected and randomly allocated in three groups of 30. In the first group, 4.5 ml of ropivacaine 0.5% isobaric plus 5 micrograms of dexmedetomidine in 0.5 cc of distilled water, in the second group, 4.5 cc of isobaric ropivacaine plus 25 micrograms of fentanyl in 0.5 cc distillated water, and in the third group, 4.5 ml ropivacaine 0.5% isobaric in 0.5 cc distillated water was injected. The severity of pain and sensory and motor characteristics of patients were determined and compared between the three groups.

The mean time of onset of sensory motor block in the three groups of ropivacaine-dexmedetomidine, ropivacaine-fentanyl and ropivacaine alone was 9.1 ± 3.0, 11.2 ± 3.2, and 12.5 ± 4.3 minutes, respectively (P = 0.001). The mean time of motor block in the three groups was 10.9 ± 3.3, 14.7 ± 5.1, and 15.8 ± 4.8 minutes, and this time was shorter in the groups of ropivacaine-dexmedetomidine (P < 0.001).

The onset of sensory and motor block was shorter in the ropivacaine-dexmedetomidine group.