Movafegh 2006.

Methods	Parallel group RCT.
Participants	In Iran, 60 ASA I‐II participants aged 20‐50 years undergoing elective hand and forearm surgery with axillary brachial plexus block were included. Participants with a history of peptic ulcer disease, diabetes, hepatic or renal failure, pregnancy and those receiving premedications including opioids, benzodiazepines and clonidine were excluded.
Interventions	Block All participants received nerve stimulator‐guided axillary brachial plexus block with lidocaine 1.5% 34 ml. Dexamethasone/placebo Dexamethasone group: dexamethasone 8 mg perineurally. Placebo group: normal saline 2 ml perineurally. Intraoperative anaesthesia/analgesia Not described. Postoperative analgesia Not described.
Outcomes	Outcomes of interest for the review Duration of sensory block defined as the time interval between administration of local anaesthetic and the first postoperative pain. Duration of motor block defined as the time interval between administration of local anaesthetic and complete recovery of motor functions. Other outcomes Onset of sensory block defined as the time between the last injection and complete abolition of the pinprick response. Onset of motor block defined as the time between the last injection and complete paralysis in all nerve distributions.
Notes	Funding: no information provided. Conflicts of interest: none.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Random sequence was computer‐generated.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No indication of how group allocation was concealed.
Blinding of participants (detection bias)	Low risk	Participants were blinded.
Blinding of personnel (detection bias)	Unclear risk	No indication whether personnel were blinded.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	The anaesthesiologists who evaluated the sensory and motor block were blinded.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	High risk	Thirty participants were randomized to each group. Ten participants in the placebo group were excluded for failed block leaving 20 for analysis (33% excluded). In the dexamethasone group, six participants were excluded for failed block. The total of the remaining participants is reported to be 20. There are four participants that are not accounted for.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	No protocol available. All outcomes were reported as stated in the methods section.
Other bias	Low risk	Appears to be free of any other bias.