Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2025 Aug 12:18:4019-4027.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S542327. eCollection 2025.

Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Ropivacaine for Intercostal Nerve Block in Elderly Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy: A randomized Double-Blinded Trial

Fayin Li  1 , Pengfei Gao  1 , Xianlong Zhang  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Ropivacaine for Intercostal Nerve Block in Elderly Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy: A randomized Double-Blinded Trial

Fayin Li et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

Background: Esophagectomy is associated with significant postoperative pain and a pronounced perioperative stress response. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been widely recognized as an effective adjuvant to regional anesthesia across various surgical procedures. However, its efficacy and safety as an adjuvant to ropivacaine in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic esophagectomy remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of DEX.

Methods: A total of 89 patients with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III were randomly assigned to two groups. The DR group received an intercostal nerve block with a mixture of 20 mL of 0.25% ropivacaine and 2 μg/kg of DEX, while the RP group received 20 mL of 0.25% ropivacaine alone. Plasma levels of epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol (COR) were measured perioperatively. Postoperative analgesia was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the cumulative dose of rescue analgesics, and the pump pressure required for rescue analgesia. Additionally, adverse events and satisfaction scores from both patients and thoracic surgeons were recorded. The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied for uniformly distributed. The values for baseline information were presented as the mean ±standard (SD), and compared using one-way ANOVA. Enumeration data were expressed as percentages or frequencies and compared using the Chi-square test.

Results: Postoperatively, plasma levels of E, NE, and COR decreased significantly in the DR group compared to the RP group. The duration of analgesia was longer in the DR group, with fewer requirements for rescue analgesia and a significantly extended time to the first analgesic request. VAS scores were significantly lower in the DR group. No significant adverse events were observed, and patient satisfaction with analgesia was significantly higher in the DR group.

Conclusion: DEX, when used as an adjuvant to intercostal nerve block, prolongs analgesic duration, improves pain control, and attenuates the perioperative stress response in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic esophagectomy.

Keywords: analgesia; dexmedetomidine; esophagectomy; intercostal nerve block; ropivacaine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Ultrasonography image of chest wall before ICNB. (B) Needle trajectory (red arrow) and drug spread in the intercostal space (Red circle).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Details of clinical procedures of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hoshino I, Gunji H, Kuwayama N, et al. Efficacy of thoracotomy and thoracoscopic-assisted esophageal surgery in conversion and salvage surgeries: a retrospective study. World J Surg Oncol. 2022;20(1):163. doi: 10.1186/s12957-022-02637-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xie Y, Yan D, Shen J. Video-assisted thoracic surgery versus thoracotomy for treatment of patients with pulmonary sequestration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian J Surg. 2023;46(8):3387–3388. doi: 10.1016/j.asjsur.2023.03.097 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li J, Zhang F, Lan X, Li F, Tan C, Cao W. Novel risk prediction models for deep vein thrombosis after thoracotomy and thoracoscopic lung cancer resections, involving coagulation and immune function. Open Life Sci. 2023;18(1):20220617. doi: 10.1515/biol-2022-0617 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ichimura H, Kobayashi K, Gosho M, et al. Comparison of postoperative quality of life and pain with and without a metal rib spreader in patients undergoing lobectomy through axillary mini-thoracotomy for stage I lung cancer. Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022;28(2):129–137. doi: 10.5761/atcs.oa.21-00148 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Maloney J, Wie C, Pew S, et al. Post-thoracotomy pain syndrome. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022;26(9):677–681. doi: 10.1007/s11916-022-01069-z - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources