Dexamethasone and Analgesic Duration After Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Blockade

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00802009

Enrollment

Registered

2008-12-04

Start date

2009-05-31

Completion date

2009-11-30

Last updated

2010-01-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anesthesia

Keywords

ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia, nerve block, brachial plexus, mepivicaine, dexamethasone, hand wrist surgery, duration, anesthetic duration following brachial plexus/nerve block for hand/wrist surgery

Brief summary

Patients undergoing surgery of the hand often are treated with a nerve block in the shoulder/neck area that provides anesthesia/numbing during surgery. Nerve blocks usually last for a few hours after surgery and provide pain relief for this period. It may be possible to extend the duration of anesthesia by using a steroid, which has anti-inflammtory properties. This study will compare the duration of the nerve block when dexamethasone (steroid) is added to the anesthetic injected around the nerve.

Interventions

DRUGDexamethasone

Dexamethasone 8 milligrams (liquid) will be added to standard anesthetic solution administered during routine brachial plexus nerve blockade.

DRUGMepivicaine

Standard anesthetic solution administered during routine brachial plexus nerve blockade.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 60 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients having unilateral hand or forearm surgery under Supraclavicular brachial plexus blockade. 2. ASA I-III 3. Age 18-60 4. BMI \< 35

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to local anesthetics and dexamethasone. 2. Contra-indication to regional anesthesia/ supraclavicular brachial plexus blockade e.g. bleeding diathesis, coagulopathy. 3. Peripheral neuropathy. 4. Peptic ulcer disease. 5. Diabetes Mellitus. 6. Inability to give informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Duration of anesthesia	hourly for first 24 hours; daily until discharge

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Requirements for pain medications; complications	up to 3 months

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026