Liu Z, et al. - In this randomized controlled study, researchers compared two analgesic strategies: ropivacaine in combination with dexmedetomidine vs ropivacaine alone, in terms of impact on brachial plexus block. They investigated if the combination strategy could provide alternative anesthetic means for upper limb trauma surgery. They divided 114 patients who received upper limb surgeries under brachial plexus block anesthesia into two groups: those randomized to ropivacaine alone (the control group) or ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine (the combination group). In the combination group vs control group, significantly shorter time to onset of sensory and motor nerve blockade, significantly lower visual analog scale scores at 8, 12 and 24 h after surgery, and significantly lower rates of adverse reaction were observed. They concluded that ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine offered a superior brachial plexus blocking effect, compared to ropivacaine alone, mainly intra-operatively and postoperatively.