Intraoperative Administration of Dexmedetomidine and Dexamethasone in Local Anesthetic Infiltration to Improve Postoperative Pain Control After Posterior Cervical Fusion

Abstract

Dexmedetomidine, a selective and potent alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, is used for its anxiolytic, sedative, and analgesic properties. Dexamethasone is a high-potency, long-acting glucocorticoid that has been shown to provide analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. At present, little has been published with regard to the effectiveness of these drugs as dual agents with local anesthetics for analgesia. In this report, a case of a 50-year-old man who underwent a cervical spine orthopedic procedure is described, in which an intraoperative injection of ropivacaine was administered with the adjuvants dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone, providing extended postoperative pain relief. In summary, we present a patient who had an injection of ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone into the erector spinae muscles in the cervical region, which provided improvement in postoperative pain and reduced opioid consumption for five days post-surgery, demonstrating additive and/or synergistic effects beyond the normal local anesthetic duration.