SynthesisMedicine2021
Comparing the effects of dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone as perineural adjuvants on peripheral nerve block: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Perineural dexamethasone effectively prolongs anaesthesic block duration in total hip arthroplasty, reduces opioid consumption, and does not compromise motor function, nerve integrity, or glycaemic control.International orthopaedics · 2025Trial
- [A prospective comparative study on effectiveness of single versus continuous adductor canal block combined with local infiltration anesthesia in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2024Trial
- Dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine as adjuvants to ropivacaine do not prolong analgesia in wound infiltration for lumbar spinal fusion: a prospective randomized controlled study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2023Trial
- Dexmedetomidine-enhanced chest wall fascial plane blocks in ultra-fast-track minimally invasive heart valve surgery: a randomized controlled trial.Perioperative medicine (London, England) · 2025Article
- Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Ropivacaine for Intercostal Nerve Block in Elderly Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy: A Randomized Double-Blinded Trial [Letter].Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Article
- Post-operative analgesic efficacy of 0.25% ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine versus dexamethasone as an adjuvant in bilateral superficial cervical plexus block for thyroidectomy under general anaesthesia - A comparative randomized clinical study.Indian journal of anaesthesia · 2023Article
- Combinations of nerve blocks in surgery for post COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae patient: A case report and review of literature.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Article
- [Research progress on analgesic effect of adductor canal block after knee arthroplasty].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2023Article
- Recent advancements in regional anaesthesia.Indian journal of anaesthesia · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDexmedetomidine (Dexm), a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist, and dexamethasone (Dexa), a very potent and highly selective glucocorticoid, have both been proven effectively to prolong the duration of local anesthetics (LA) in regional anesthesia. However, data comparing the efficacy of Dexm and Dexa as perineural adjuvants are inconsistent. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to compare the effects of Dexm and Dexa when used as LA adjuvants on peripheral nerve block (PNB).
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases up to October, 2020. The primary outcome was the duration of analgesia. Secondary outcomes included incidence of rescue analgesia, cumulative opioid consumption, time required for onset of sensory and motor blockades, duration of sensory and motor blockades, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and side effect-associated outcomes (e.g., bradycardia, sedation, hypotension, rates of infection, and neurological complications). The study was registered on PROSPERO, number CRD42020188796.
resultsAfter screening of full-text relevant articles, 13 RCTs that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved for this systematic review. It was revealed that perineural Dexm provided equivalent analgesic duration to perineural Dexa. Besides, the intake of Dexm increased the incidence of rescue analgesia in limbs surgery, as well as the cumulative opioid consumption, and decreased the time required for onset of sensory and motor blockades for long-acting LA (all P < .05). Other analysis revealed insignificant difference between the 2 groups in terms of the incidence of PONV (P > .05). Additionally, 2 studies demonstrated that Dexm possesses more sedative properties than Dexa (P < .05).
conclusionsThis meta-analysis indicated that the analgesic duration of Dexm and Dexa as LA adjuvants in PNB is the same. Meanwhile, the effects of perineural Dexm and Dexa on some secondary outcomes, including the incidence of rescue analgesia, cumulative opioid consumption, and time required for onset of sensory and motor blockades, are associated with the surgical site and type of LA.
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Registered trials
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.