Evaluating the quality of intravenous regional anesthesia following adding dexamethasone to lidocaine

The quality of anesthesia in intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA)
has been evaluated in many studies so far. This study was designed to evaluate
the effects of adding the dexamethasone to lidocaine on the quality of IVRA.
Materials and Methods: A double-blind clinical trial was set up involving 50 hand
surgery candidates, 20 to 55 years old, and with American Society of Anesthesiologists
class of I and II. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 25 cases and
received either 3 mg/kg of lidocaine (control group) or 3 mg/kg of lidocaine plus 8 mg
of dexamethasone (study group). The onset and recovery times from sensory and
motor blocks, the starting time of tourniquet pain, the amount of narcotics needed
during patients’ recovery, and probable side-effects were all compared between the
two groups. Results: No significant differences were detected concerning age, gender,
length of surgery and the mean time of starting of tourniquet pain between the two
groups. The mean times of both sensory (P = 0.002) and motor (P = 0.004) blocks
onset were significantly shorter in the study group. The mean time of recovery from
sensory block was significantly longer in the study group (P = 0.01). The average
amount of narcotics needed during the recovery was significantly lower in the study
group (P = 0.01). No side-effect was detected. Conclusion: We conclude that adding
the dexamethasone to lidocaine can improve the quality of anesthesia in IVRA