Bupivacaine 0.25% versus Bupivacaine 0.125% with Dexmedetomidine for Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Post-operative Analgesia in Cesarean Section

Abstract

Abstract Background Although beneficial in acute and chronic pain management, the use of local anaesthetics is limited by its duration of action and the dose dependent adverse effects on the cardiac and central nervous system. Adjuvants or additives are often used with local anaesthetics for its synergistic effect by prolonging the duration of sensory-motor block and limiting the cumulative dose requirement of local anaesthetics. The armamentarium of local anesthetic adjuvants have evolved over time from classical opioids to a wide array of drugs spanning several groups and varying mechanisms of action. Objectives The aim of this study is to compare two different concentration of Bupivacaine 0.25% versus 0.125% added to Dexmedetomidine as adjuvant in TAP block on quality of analgesia for postoperative pain for parturients undergoing elective CS as regard: VAS score for pain after TAB block, hemodynamics stability, first dose of rescue analgesia and the side effects. Results We found that Bupivacaine 0.125% with dexmedetomidine is recommended regarding their analgesic properties, and moreover, Bupivacaine 0.25% with dexmedetomidine was proved to prolong the analgesic effect of TAP block in elective CS even with the higher concentrations of local anesthetics is our concern. Conclusion TAP block with bupivacaine 0.125% with dexmetomidine is an effective combination used for postoperative pain relief after elective Cs with lower incidence of LAST, hemodynamic stability and lower opioids consumption.