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Dexamethasone as Adjuvant to Ropivacaine in Wound Infiltration for Postoperative Analgesia Following Spinal Surgery

Dexamethasone as Adjuvant to Ropivacaine in Wound Infiltration for Postoperative Analgesia Following Spinal Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05871073
Enrollment
60
Registered
2023-05-23
Start date
2023-01-01
Completion date
2023-03-05
Last updated
2023-05-23

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

Conditions

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, Lumbar Disc Herniation, Lumbar Spondylolisthesis, Lumbar Spine Instability

Brief summary

Introduction: Improving postoperative pain management after spinal surgery is a significant challenge for surgeons and anesthesiologists. Pain following spinal surgery, can lead to significant morbidity, limit early mobility, and increase the risk of chronic pain. This trial examines the analgesic effects of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to ropivacaine in wound infiltration after lumbar surgery. Methods: In this study, we randomly assigned sixty patients undergoing lumbar laminectomy and/or osteosynthesis into two groups of 30 patients each. The control group (R-group) received only Ropivacaine (150 mg of Ropivacaine 7.5% (20 ml) added to 2 ml of normal saline in the wound infiltration), while the intervention group (RD-group) received Ropivacaine with the addition of dexamethasone (150 mg of Ropivacaine 7.5% (20 ml) added to 8 mg of dexamethasone in the wound infiltration). Both groups were administered patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine for self-medication. Postoperatively, a blinded evaluator assessed pain at H0, recorded the assessment of surgical scar pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, as well as the time to the first opioid request, cumulative morphine consumption, opioid-related side effects, and length of stay. All patients were scheduled for a 3-month follow-up call to monitor chronic pain progression.

Interventions

WOUND INFILTRATION AFTER SPINAL SURGERY

WOUND INFILTRATION AFTER SPINAL SURGERY

Sponsors

University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* ASA I or II and diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, or lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis requiring surgical treatment such as lumbar laminectomy and/or lumbar osteosynthesis.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with altered communication capacity, previous spinal surgery, neuropathic pain, allergy to opioids, dexamethasone, or local anesthetics, active infection or tumor history, traumatic injury, chronic use of steroids or opioids, severe kidney, hepatic, or pulmonary failure, delayed extubation in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), major bleeding during or after surgery, or surgical revision within the first 24 hours were excluded from the study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
the time of the first analgesic demand of PCAat 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours postoperativelyChange of VAS scores at 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively were also assessed by the patients after they had recovered from anesthesia

Countries

Tunisia

Outcome results

None listed

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