Intrathecal dexamethasone-bupivacaine combination with bupivacaine alone in spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

Background: Postoperative pain management can be achieved by adjuvant medications during the analgesia procedure. The study investigated the effect of intrathecal dexamethasone-bupivacaine combination with bupivacaine alone in spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind clinical examination included 50 females who had previously experienced a cesarean section. The participants were assigned randomly into two categories: the intervention group, received intrathecal bupivacaine-dexamethasone, and the control group, received intrathecal bupivacaine-normal saline. Levels of pain were evaluated using a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS) at intervals of 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours after the operation. The span of the sensory block and postoperative analgesia were assessed.

Results: The inclusion of intrathecal dexamethasone with bupivacaine resulted in a significant enhancement in the duration of pain relief during the intervention, lasting for an average of 473.4 ± 39.95 minutes (p<0.001). The duration of sensory and motor block analgesia in the intervention group was more than the control group (128.32 ± 7.30 vs. 92.84 ± 7.84) and (155.6±12.34 vs. 126.16±11.89), respectively (p<0.001). Pain score on the VAS scale at 30, 60, and 120 minutes was significantly lower in the intervention group (p<0.001). There was no difference in side effects and onset time between the study groups.

Conclusion: The inclusion of intrathecal dexamethasone alongside bupivacaine has demonstrated enhancement in the duration of sensory block during spinal anesthesia. This improvement was observed without any alterations in the time it takes for the anesthesia to take effect and without any adverse effects during the postoperative period.