Effect of Adding Dexmedetomidine to Lidocaine in the Supraclavicular Block Technique in Patients Candidate for Upper Extremity Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

 Various drugs are used as adjuvants to improve the quality of supraclavicular block method. 

 This study aims to investigate the effect of adding dexmedetomidine to lidocaine in the supraclavicular block method in patients candidate for upper extremity surgery.

 This double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 61 patients candidate for upper extremity fracture surgery receiving the supraclavicular block method from 2017 to 2018. They were randomly divided into two groups of lidocaine-normal saline (30 mL of 1.5% lidocaine plus normal saline) and lidocaine-dexmedetomidine (30 mL of 1.5% lidocaine plus 1 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine). The supraclavicular block characteristics and intraoperative hemodynamic changes were measured.

 There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the demographic factors. The mean age of patients was 43.09±10.92 years, and most of them were male. The mean onset time of sensory-motor blockade was faster and the duration of sensory-motor blockade and analgesia were longer in the lidocaine-dexmedetomidine group than in the other group. These differences were statistically significant. There was significant differences in hemodynamic parameters among nine assessment times in each group and between the two groups.

 Adding dexmedetomidine to lidocaine in the supraclavicular block method accelerates the blockade onset and increases the duration of blockade and analgesia after surgery without causing any considerable side effects.