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Abstract
Background: Perioperative pain is an important issue in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which must be managed to guarantee patient comfort, decrease postoperative complications, and ensure early recovery. Popular analgesic drugs are dexmedetomidine and nalbuphine, although their relative effectiveness in this environment is still studied.
Objective: This study aims to compare the impact of dexmedetomidine and nalbuphine on the management of intraoperative and postoperative pain in patients who are undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Methods: It was a prospective, randomized, and double-blind study carried out at liaquat national hospital & Medical College Karachi, Pakistan, between August 2024 to January 2025. One hundred and twenty patients were randomized to receive intravenous dexmedetomidine (n=60) or nalbuphine (n=60) and were then induced into anesthesia. Intraoperative hemodynamics were observed, and postoperative pain was measured at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Rescue analgesia and adverse events were noted.
Results: Dexmedetomidine was found to have significantly lower postoperative VAS scores and analgesic requirements than nalbuphine. Intraoperative hemodynamics were more stable, and the adverse events were low and similar between the groups.
Conclusion: Nalbuphine versus dexmedetomidine Laparoscopic cholecystectomy Dexmedetomidine is a better analgesic, hemodynamic, and confers better patient comfort than nalbuphine.