Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is commonly used to treat post-operative pain after lower abdominal surgeries. The aim of this randomised controlled study was to assess the efficacy of addition of dexmedetomidine or dexamethasone to ropivacaine in TAP block and compare the two for post-operative pain relief in caesarean section.
A hundred parturients (18–45 years) undergoing caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia received ultrasound-guided (USG) bilateral TAP block with 50ml of 3mg/kg ropivacaine along with 0.1mg/kg dexamethasone (Group A) or 1μg/kg dexmedetomidine (Group B) in this prospective, randomised, double-blind study. Time to initial self-reporting of post-operative pain, time to first rescue analgesic demand, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain haemodynamic parameters and adverse effects if any were noted, anda P value < 0.005 was considered as statistically significant.
Time to initial self-reporting of post-operative pain (411.35 vs. 338.20 min, P < 0.005) and time to first rescue analgesic (474.30 vs. 407.30 min, P < 0.005) were significantly longer in group B as compared to group A. VAS score at the time of initial self-reporting of pain was significantly lower in group B. No significant haemodynamic changes or side-effects were noted.