Morphine  is widely used an adjuvant to regional anaesthesia for post-operative analgesia because of its prolonged post-operative analgesic effects. It is associated with side effects like nausea, vomiting, pruritus, urinary retention and- most feared - respiratory depression.

Dexmedetomidine now emerging as an adjuvant to regional anaesthesia, Intrathecal dexmedetomidine when combined with local anesthetic prolongs the sensory block by depressing the release of C-fibre transmitters and by hyperpolarization of postsynaptic dorsal horn neurons. Motor block prolongation by α2 adrenergic agonist may result from binding of α2 agonists to motor neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.

The primary aim of the study is to compare analgesic efficacy of these two adjuvants simultaneously observing the adverse effects, characteristics of spinal block and perioperative vital parameters.

 Seventy patients between 18 to 60 years of age, posted for abdominal hysterectomy under subarachnoid block with isobaric 0.5% levobupivacaine, will be recruited.

Intervention and Study Groups

Patients will be randomly allocated to two groups (group M & group D) of 35 each by computer generated list. Group M will receive 3 ml of 0.5% isobaric levobupivacaine with morphine & Group D will receive 3 mL of 0.5% isobaric levobupivacaine with dexmedetomidine. After performing spinal block, the vital signs will be recorded every 5 min for the first  30 min, every 15 min for the next hour and thereafter, half hourly till the request for supplemental analgesia

Implication of the Study

Dexmedetomidine may be having equal or even better analgesia with better side effect profile in comparison to morphine and hence may become adjuvant drug of choice for various abdominal surgeries done under spinal anaesthesia.