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Study Design Prospective randomized double-blind study. Purpose To assess the analgesic effects of the combination of a low-dose ketamine and dexmedetomidine (ketodex) infusion and compare it with that of fentanyl for postoperative analgesia after spine surgeries. Overview of Literature Adequate pain management following spine surgeries is crucial. Approximately 57% of patients experience inadequate pain control in the first 24 hours following elective spine surgery, which is attributable to the extensive soft tissue and muscle damage. Methods The study included 60 patients graded American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II and scheduled for thoracolumbar spine surgery involving >3 vertebral levels. The patients were divided into two groups: group KD (ketodex) and group F (fentanyl). The primary objective was to compare the postoperative analgesic requirements among the groups. The secondary objectives included a comparison of the intraoperative anesthetic requirements, postoperative pain scores, hemodynamic parameters, side effects of the study drugs, and the duration of post-anesthesia care unit stay of both the groups. Results Ketodex use prolonged the mean time to first rescue analgesia (22.00±2.30 hours vs. 11.69±3.02 hours, p0.05). The postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the group KD than in group F at most timepoints (p3 vertebral levels to achieve prolonged analgesia without any opioid-related side effects.

Study Design This was a prospective, randomized, and double-blind study. Purpose Thoraco-lumbar spine surgery is associated with severe postoperative pain and can cause chronic pain. We aimed to compare the impact of epidural ropivacaine with and without dexmedetomidine on postoperative analgesia after thoracolumbar spine instrumentation wherein an epidural catheter was placed by the surgeon intraoperatively. Overview of Literature Very few studies have reported the use of epidural dexmedetomidine in spine surgeries. When used via the epidural route, dexmedetomidine is safe and efficacious and is associated with reduced rescue analgesia consumption, increased duration of analgesia, reduced pain scores, but not with major hemodynamic adverse effects. Methods Total 60 American Society of Anesthesiologists I–III adult patients aged 18–65 years who were scheduled to undergo thoraco-lumbar spine instrumentation were randomly allocated into group RD (epidural ropivacaine+dexmedetomidine) or group R (epidural ropivacaine plus saline). We aimed to compare the total rescue analgesic consumption on postoperative day 0, 1, and 2. Moreover, we studied the time to first rescue analgesia with visual analogue scale score