Rapid and reliable smooth extubation – Comparison of fentanyl with dexmedetomidine: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Fentanyl and dexmedetomidine have been tried to attenuate airway and circulatory reflexes during emergence and extubation individually but have not been compared with respect to the level of sedation to evolve a reliable technique for rapid and smooth extubation. AIM: To compare the effects of fentanyl and dexmedetomidine in attenuating airway and circulatory reflexes during emergence and extubation of the endotracheal tube. SETTING AND DESIGN: This double-blind, randomized, controlled study was done in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia belonging to the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 or 2. METHODOLOGY: All patients received a standardized anesthetic protocol. Patients were randomized to receive either fentanyl 1 μg/kg or dexmedetomidine 0.75 μg/kg. Fifteen minutes before expected last surgical suture, isoflurane was cutoff and equal amount of test solution was given when train-of-four ratio was 0.3. The degree of sedation, airway, and circulatory responses at the time of suction and extubation were analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square test for nonparametric data and t-test for parametric data. RESULTS: Heart rate (HR) was comparable in both the groups until endotracheal extubation. Later, there was rise in HR in fentanyl group. There was stastisticaly significant drop in blood pressure at 5 min after test drug administration in both the groups. Airway response for suctioning and extubation was better in dexmedetomidine group and it was associated with better sedation score than fentanyl group. CONCLUSION: Single dose of 0.75 μg/kg dexmedetomidine given 15 min before extubation provides smooth extubation when compared to fentanyl.