Dexmedetomidine decreases requirement of thiopentone sodium and pentazocine followed with improved recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND: Pain relief remains the most fundamental and consequential aspect of surgery for patients throughout perioperative period. Dexmedetomidine has created an interest in α2-adrenoceptor agonists in the management of pain and hence the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug in hilly population of North India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients, irrespective of gender, were randomly allocated to two groups, control and test, each having 30 patients. Test group received an infusion of dexmedetomidine at a rate of 0.5 μg/kg/h 30 min before induction and 0.6 μg/kg/h after inducing anesthesia. Control patients received a volume-matched infusion of normal saline as placebo. Approximately 2 min before induction, analgesia was provided in the form of pentazocine, 0.5 mg/kg in control and 0.3 mg/kg in the test group. Induction was performed by 2 mg/kg thiopentone sodium supplemented with intravenous boluses of 25 mg thiopentone sodium every 15 s until loss of eyelid reflex (determined every 15 s). Induction dose of thiopentone sodium and total pentazocine dose were recorded. Recovery was assessed on the clinical recovery score (CRS) scale. RESULTS: Infusion of dexmedetomidine decreased the induction dose of thiopentone approximately by 33% and of pentazocine dose by approximately 39% in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Moreover, incidence of pain was also decreased significantly. Improved CRS from 4.33 to 6.87 was noticed immediately post-operatively in dexmedetomidine group of patients. CONCLUSION: Infusion of dexmedetomidine during the laparoscopic cholecystectomy decreases the requirement of thiopentone sodium and pentazocine and leads to early recovery of patients.