CONSORT the effect of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on hemodynamic responses during emergence from nasotracheal intubation after oral surgery

BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine provides smooth emergence with reduced agitation. The authors hypothesized low-dose dexmedetomidine infusion might contribute to hemodynamic stability during and after nasotracheal tube extubation. METHODS: Ninety-three adult patients scheduled for oral and maxillofacial surgery were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive normal saline (control group, n = 31), dexmedetomidine at 0.2 μg/kg/h (DEX0.2 group, n = 31), or dexmedetomidine at 0.4 μg/kg/h (DEX0.4 group, n = 31). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and response entropy (RE) and state entropy (SE) were recorded during emergence from anesthesia. RESULTS: Extubation times were similar in the 3 groups. Mean MAP was significantly lower at eye opening (T3) and immediately after extubation (T4) in the DEX0.2 (P = .013 and .003, respectively) and DEX0.4 group (P = .003 and .027, respectively) than in the control group. At T3 and T4, mean HR was significantly higher in the control group than in the DEX0.2 (P = .014 and .022, respectively) or DEX0.4 groups (P = .003 and <.001, respectively). In the postanesthetic care unit, mean MAP and HR were significantly lower in the DEX0.2 (P = .03 and .022, respectively) and DEX0.4 groups (P = .027 and <.001, respectively) than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion at rates of 0.2 or 0.4 μg/kg/h during oral and maxillofacial surgery could provide stable hemodynamic profiles during anesthetic emergence from nasotracheal intubation without delaying extubation times.