European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Brachial plexus block is the cornerstone of anaesthesia and analgesia in the management of upper limb surgeries. Different approaches to this block can be used and compared for efficacy and safety using the same volume of local anaesthetics. AIM: To compare the efficacy of supraclavicular block, interscalene block and combination of supraclavicular and low interscalene block in upper limb orthopaedic surgeries. Materials and Methods: 60 patients of ASA Grade I, II & III of age group 18-65 years of either sex undergoing orthopaedic upper limb surgeries under regional anaesthesia were randomly divided into 3 groups of 20 patients each. In Group SR, supraclavicular block was given using 20ml of Ropivacaine 0.5% with 0.05mg of Dexmedetomidine, In Group IR, Interscalene block was given using 20ml of Ropivacaine 0.5% + 0.05mg of Dexmedetomidine and in Group ISR, a combination of low interscalene and supraclavicular block using 20 ml of Ropivacaine 0.5% + 0.05 mg Dexmedetomidine (10 ml in low interscalene and 10 ml in supraclavicular block) was administered. Results: The demographic profile was comparable in the three groups. The mean time of onset of sensory block was earlier in group ISR (5.77± 1.51 mins) than in SR group (12.77± 2.55 mins) and IR group (7.52 ± 1.50 mins). The mean time of onset of motor block was also significantly shorter in the combination group ISR (7.91± 1.45 mins) than in SR (16.94 ± 3.03 mins) and IR group (11.82 ± 2.81 mins). The mean duration of sensory block (893.56±20.10 mins), as well as motor block (782.50±33.17 mins) in group ISR, was significantly prolonged than the other two groups. Conclusion: The combination of supraclavicular and low interscalene block is more efficacious than supraclavicular and interscalene blocks alone in terms of onset and duration of block without any significant side effects.