ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine combined with butorphanol on postoperative an-algesia and recovery for patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) in parturients undergoing cesarean section. Methods Eighty-four parturients scheduled for elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were randomly al-located into two groups. Control group: physiological saline infusion(0.5 μg/kg) after delivery and butorphanol (10 mg) in PCIA. Experimental group: dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg) infusion after delivery and dexmedeto-midine (200 μg) with butorphanol (10 mg) in PCIA. Hemodynamic variables, the visual analogue score (VAS), the sedation score, side effects, the total pump-press number and additional analgesics cases were re-corded. The quality of recovery was evaluated by using a 40-item quality of recovery questionnaire(QoR-40) and a 9 questions fatigue score(FFS). Results Compared with control group,the VAS scores,the total pump-press number, the incidence of side effects and the FSS scores in experimental group was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In addition,the QoR-40 score at POD3 was significantly increased(P<0.05). Conclusions Dexmedeto-midine combined with butorphanol for PCIA after caesarean section decreases the consumption of butorphanol,pro-motes postoperative analgesia,alleviates fatigue,and improves postoperative recovery.