DEXMEDETOMIDINE IN PARAVERTEBRAL BLOCK FOR BREAST CANCER SURGERIES- A WAY TOWARDS OPIOID FREE ANAESTHESIA

Introduction:Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in women across the world. One concerning problem that affects breast cancer patients after surgery is pain. Regional anesthesia may reduce cancer propagation by attenuation of the surgical stress response, reduced opioid usage and by the direct protective action of local anaesthetics on cancer cells migration. Therefore regional anesthesia should be considered for all breast cancer surgeries.

Aim:The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of Dexmedetomidine and Fentanyl as an adjunct to 0.5% Ropivacaine in thoracic paravertebral block, along with general anesthesia, in modified radical mastectomy surgeries.

Methods: A total of forty patients were included in the study. All patients received the paravertebral block at 3 levels from T2-T4 with 15 ml of drug solution. Perioperative vitals and any complications wererecorded. Postoperative pain was assessed using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).

Results: Statistics did not reveal any significant difference in the degree of intraoperative analgesia, postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting among the two study groups.

Conclusion:Among the two drugs, dexmedetomidine offers better hemodynamic stability and hence can be used in place of fentanyl for opioid free anaesthesia management.