SynthesisMedicine2017
Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to local anesthetics in brachial plexus blocks: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect and safety of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to local anesthetics in erector spinae plane block: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Pooled it
- Dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to peripheral nerve blocks in pediatric patients.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2022Pooled it
- Optimal dose of perineural dexmedetomidine to prolong analgesia after brachial plexus blockade: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of 57 randomized clinical trials.BMC anesthesiology · 2021Pooled it
- Comparative evaluation of intrathecal bupivacaine alone and bupivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine in cesarean section using spinal anesthesia: a meta-analysis.The Journal of international medical research · 2019Pooled it
- Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Local Anesthetics in Transversus Abdominis Plane Block: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.The Clinical journal of pain · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Perineural versus intravenous dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve block in open inguinal hernia repair: a randomised controlled trial.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine in ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block in children, a randomized controlled trial.European journal of medical research · 2024Trial
- Comparative Study Between Dexmedetomidine with Bupivacaine and Bupivacaine Alone in Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Pain Control of Posterior Lumbosacral Spine Fixation Surgeries: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Drug design, development and therapy · 2024Trial
- The role of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for high-thoracic erector spinae plane block for analgesia in shoulder arthroscopy; a randomized controlled study.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Trial
- Dexmedetomidine versus sufentanil as adjuvants to bupivacaine for brachial plexus block during upper extremity surgery: a randomized clinical trial.Brazilian journal of anesthesiology (Elsevier)Trial
- Boosting Bupivacaine: The Role of Adjuvant Perineural Dexmedetomidine in Femoral Nerve Blocks.Cureus · 2026Article
- Enhanced Analgesic Outcomes with Low-dose Dexmedetomidine and Lignocaine-Adrenaline in Pediatric Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block: A Randomized Trial.International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry · 2026Article
- Dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to local anesthetics for impacted third molar surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of dental anesthesia and pain medicine · 2025Review
- Dexmedetomidine versus ketamine as adjuvants in external oblique intercostal plane block for post thoracotomy pain: a randomised trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Article
- A Comparative Study of the Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Nalbuphine as an Adjuvant to Levobupivacaine in Ultrasound-Guided Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Study.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2025Article
- Surgery With Peripheral Nerve Block Under Dexmedetomidine Sedation for Foot Ulcer.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2024Article
- Intrathecal dexamethasone-bupivacaine combination with bupivacaine alone in spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.Caspian journal of internal medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBrachial plexus block (BPB) for upper extremity surgery provides superior analgesia, but this advantage is limited by the pharmacological duration of local anesthetics. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) as a local anesthetics adjuvant for BPB has been utilized to prolong the duration of the nerve block in some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) but is far from unanimous in the efficacy and safety of the perineural route. Hence, an updated meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of DEX as local anesthetic adjuvants on BPB.
methodsA search in electronic databases was conducted to collect the RCTs that investigated the impact of adding DEX to local anesthetics for BPB. Sensory block duration, motor block duration, onset time of sensory and motor block, time to first analgesic request, the common adverse effects were analyzed.
resultsEighteen trails (1014 patients) were included with 515 patients receiving perineural DEX. The addition of DEX prolonged the duration of sensory block (WMD 257 minutes, 95%CI 191.79-322.24, P < 0.001), motor block (WMD 242 minutes, 95%CI 174.94-309.34, P < 0.001), and analgesia (WMD 26 6 minutes, 95%CI 190.75-342.81, P < 0.001). Perineural DEX also increased the risk of bradycardia (OR=8.25, 95%CI 3.95-17.24, P < 0.001), hypotension (OR = 5.62, 95%CI 1.52-20.79, P < 0.01), and somnolence (OR = 19.67, 95%CI 3.94-98.09, P < 0.001). There was a lack of evidence that perineural DEX increased the risk of other adverse events.
conclusionsDEX is a potential anesthetic adjuvant that can facilitate better anesthesia and analgesia when administered in BPB. However, it also increased the risk of bradycardia, hypotension, and somnolence. Further research should focus on the efficacy and safety of the preneural administration of DEX.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.