Postoperative analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine combined with TPVB applied to open gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Purpose: This study is aimed to investigate the analgesic effect of combined dexmedetomidine and thoracic paravertebral nerve block (TPVB) on gastric cancer (GC) patients undergoing open gastrectomy. Methods: : From May 2019 to Nov 2020, a total of 80 GC patients preparing for open gastrectomy were enrolled in our hospital and were divided into the ropivacaine (RO) group and the ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD) group ad libitum . All of the patients underwent TPVB. The characteristics, usage of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), adverse events, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, inflammatory cytokines, and T cell subgroups between the two groups were compared. Patients in the RD group showed the decreased occurrence rate of postoperative adverse events and VAS scores and improved anti-inflammation and immune function. Results: These findings implied that the application of dexmedetomidine in combination with ropivacaine in TPVB has a good postoperative analgesic effect, as well as anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing effects. Conclusion: Thus, dexmedetomidine as an adjunct analgesic may be potentially applied in clinical practice for GC patients undergoing open gastrectomy.