SynthesisPloS one2023
Effects of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to ropivacaine or ropivacaine alone on duration of postoperative analgesia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of liposomal bupivacaine parasternal block combined with rectus sheath block on postoperative pain in patients undergoing sternotomy for cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Trial
- Effect of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block with dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant on postoperative analgesia for gynecological laparoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Thoracoscopy-guided thoracic paravertebral block using dexmedetomidine in combination with ropivacaine for postoperative analgesia after thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2025Trial
- Analgesic effect of ropivacaine combined with methylene blue in fascia Iliaca block for patients undergoing hip arthroplasty.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Trial
- 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.Journal of pain research · 2025Trial
- Dorsal penile block of bupivacaine with adjuvant dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone can safely improve immediate post-operative analgesia and decrease opioid consumption after inflatable penile prosthesis surgery.International journal of impotence research · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Mechanism, Dose, and Administration of Dexmedetomidine in Managing Visceral Pain Associated With Surgery: A Narrative Review.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Review
- Application and safety analysis of paravertebral block with dezocine and ropivacaine in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Duration of Anesthesia with Dexmedetomidine as Adjuvant to Ropivacaine in Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block: An Observational Study.JNMA; journal of the Nepal Medical Association · 2024Observational
- Comparing Analgesic Efficacy: Ropivacaine with Dexamethasone vs. Ropivacaine with Dexmedetomidine After Cesarean Section Using Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (2020 - 2021).Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Role of Dexmedetomidine and Clonidine With Hyperbaric Ropivacaine in Subarachnoid Block: A Comprehensive Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- Comparison of oxygen reserve index according to the remimazolam or dexmedetomidine for intraoperative sedation under regional anesthesia-A single-blind randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRopivacaine is a long-acting local anesthetic that is used to treat postoperative pain. Adjuvant use of dexmedetomidine in regional anesthesia may prolong the duration of analgesia. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the duration and effect of ropivacaine alone vs. ropivacaine in combination with dexmedetomidine for postoperative analgesia.
methodsThe PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ropivacaine alone or ropivacaine in combination with dexmedetomidine for regional anesthesia. The primary outcome was duration of analgesia, defined as the time from onset of the block to the time of the first analgesic request or initial pain report. Secondary outcomes were duration of sensory block, duration of motor block, consumption of sufentanil for analgesia, length of hospital stay, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting.
resultsEighteen studies with 1148 patients were included. Overall quality of the RCTs, as assessed by the Jadad scale, was high. The meta-analysis demonstrated that ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine significantly prolonged the duration of postoperative analgesia from local anesthetics compared to ropivacaine alone (WMD: 4.14h; 95%CI: 3.29~5.0h; P<0.00001; I2 = 99%). There was evidence of high heterogeneity between studies. The duration of sensory and motor block was significantly increased, and consumption of sufentanil for analgesia and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly reduced in patients who received ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine compared to ropivacaine alone. There was no significant difference in length of hospital stay.
conclusionsCompared to ropivacaine alone, ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine significantly prolonged the duration of postoperative analgesia and sensory and motor block, and reduced consumption of sufentanil for analgesia and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, across an array of surgeries.
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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.