Effect of Intrathecal Dexmedtomidine as an Adjuvant for Cesarean Section: A Review

Background: Intrathecal dexmedetomidine has been used in spinal anesthesia during caesarean sections. The purpose of this review article was to investigate the effect of intrathecal dexmedetomidine on the adverse reactions of spinal anesthesia during cesarean section.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine as a neuraxial adjuvant for elective caesarean section.

Methods: We did a literature search assessing the effect of intrathecal dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant in elective caesarean section in PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO and GOOGLE library databases.

Results: 11 Randomized control trials were included. Overall, compared with control intervention in patients with elective cesarean section, dexmedetomidine intervention could significantly improve the characteristics of the block, including onset of sensory block, duration of the sensory block and duration of the motor block. Additionally, when compared with control group dexmedetomidine could prolong time to rescue analgesiaThe incidence of shivering in the dexmedetomidine group was significantly lower than that in the control group. The incidences of nausea and vomiting, bradycardia, hypotension and pruritus were not different between the two groups.

Conclusion: Intrathecal Dexmedetomidine can effectively improve the characteristics of the block, prolong time to rescue analgesia, and reduce the occurrence of shivering during cesarean section, but it does not affect the occurrence of nausea and vomiting, bradycardia or hypotension.