Addition of Dexamethasone to Bupivacaine in Spinal Anesthesia for Elective Caesarean Section

Background: Subarachnoid block is the most commonly administered neuraxial anesthetic for cesarean delivery because of its simplicity, speed of onset, and reliability. Dexamethasone has anti-inflammatory and analgesic action by inhibition of transmission in nociceptive C -fiber and neural discharge. Aim: to compare the effect of adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine in comparison to bupivacaine alone in spinal anesthesia (onset, duration, hemodynamics stability, nausea and vomiting). Patient and methods: 100 pregnant women underwent cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups, the patients received 10 mg(2 ml) of 0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine combined with 2 mg (o.5 ml) dexamethasone in group dexa p as a study group and 10 mg (2 ml) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine combined with 0.5 ml normal saline in p group as a control group . hemodynamic parameters and sensory perception during surgery were evaluated. Results: the comparison between two study groups by hemodynamic parameters of mean arterial blood pressure, pulse rate, sensory loss duration. There were more stable mean arterial blood pressure and lower pulse rate in dexamethasone group. Regarding the sensory duration were longer in dexa p group (3.94 -+0.82 hours) in comparison to only p group (2_+0), with 1.94 hours. Conclusion: intrathecal bupivacaine combined with 2 mg dexamethasone s associated with longer duration of sensory loss than a combination of bupivacaine and normal saline.