Study Comparing Dexamethasone and Dexmedetomidine with Ropivacaine for Pain Relief After Lumbar Spine Surgery Using Nerve Block

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating which medication, dexamethasone or dexmedetomidine, works better and is safer when added to a local anesthetic called ropivacaine in a nerve block named the erector spinae plane block ESPB. This nerve block helps reduce pain after lumbar spine surgery. This phase 4, randomized, double-blind trial aims to improve pain management while reducing opioid use and their side effects after spine surgery. All participants will undergo general anesthesia for lumbar spine surgery and receive a bilateral ESPB using ultrasound guidance. The nerve block will include ropivacaine combined with either dexamethasone, dexmedetomidine, or a placebo saline. Participants are randomly assigned to one of these three groups, and neither patients nor pain assessors will know which medication was used. During the study, researchers will monitor opioid use during the first 24 and 48 hours after surgery as the main outcome. They will also assess pain intensity at multiple time points, time to first pain relief, any nerve injuries, side effects such as nausea or low blood pressure, and laboratory markers like blood glucose and inflammation ratios. Participants are expected to stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours for monitoring and assessments.

Comparison of Perineural Dexamethasone Versus Dexmedetomidine as Adjuvants to Erector Spinae Plane Block in Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Trial