Intravenous dexmedetomidine versus levobupivacaine for hemodynamic response towards skull pin insertion

Local anesthetics such as levobupivacaine, along with fentanyl and intravenous dexmedetomidine, have shown potential in reducing sympathetic activation and tension. Therefore, it is of interest to compare intravenous dexmedetomidine with levobupivacaine. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups of 40 each, designated as Group D and Group S, with measures including baseline, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. At baseline, no significant difference in saturation was seen across the Groups (p = 0.10). Likewise, during induction and at subsequent intervals (1 minute before and after skull pin placement, as well as at 3, 5, and 10 minutes thereafter), Spo2 levels were similar across the two groups (all p > 0.05). We concluded that the scalp block using fentanyl-levobupivacaine and intravenous dexmedetomidine has comparable efficacy in diminishing the hemodynamic response associated with the skull pin head.