Methods
REGRESSION
Two hundred patients between the ages of 18 and 60, of both sexes with ASA I- II classification scheduled for lower abdominal surgery under spinal anesthesia using hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% were randomly divided into two groups: the dexamethasone group (Dexa group) and the control group, with 100 patients in each group. Before the administration of spinal anesthesia, the Dexa group received an intravenous infusion of 8 mg dexamethasone in 500 mL normal saline, while the control group received 500 mL normal saline only. The primary outcome of this study was to assess the effect of IV dexamethasone on the regression of hyperbaric bupivacaine spinal anesthesia. Secondary outcome measures included the total duration of sensory and motor blocks, VAS score, time of first analgesic request, total analgesic consumption within the first 24 h, and the occurrence of any side effects.