Does dexamethasone improve the efficacy of ropivacaine in single-shot femoral nerve block for postoperative analgesia in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery? A randomized controlled study

Background This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding dexamethasone to ropivacaine on theduration and quality of single-shot femoral nerve block (FNB) for postoperative analgesia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Method Sixty patients scheduled for elective anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. At the end of the surgery, all patients received combined ultrasound stimulation-guided FNB using either 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine (R group, n = 30) or 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine with 8 mg dexamethasone (RC group, n = 30). The duration of sensory block, pain degree, and opioid requirements were recorded. Results The duration of sensory block in the RC group was statistically longer than that in the R group (1782 ± 288 vs. 1356 ±222 min; P 0.001). However, the quality of pain control and analgesic consumption were almost similar in both groups. ConclusionAddition of 8 mg dexamethasone to 0.5% ropivacaine prolongs the sensory blockade duration of single-shot femoral nerve block but does not affect the degree of pain control.