Efficacy of dexmedetomidine in preventing agitation during recovery from general anesthesia in patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty / 中华麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine in preventing agitation during recovery from general anesthesia in patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).Methods Sixty adults patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome,of American Society of Anesthesiology physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,aged 24-62 yr,with body mass index of 24-37 kg/m2,undergoing elective UPPP,were divided into dexmedetomidine group (group D) and conventional group (group C) using a random number table method,with 30 patients in each group.Dexmedetomidine was infused in a loading dose of 0.8 μg/kg over 10 min starting from 10 min before anesthesia induction,followed by a continuous infusion of 0.4 μg · kg-1 · h-1 for 30 min in group D,while the equal volume of normal saline was given instead of dexmedetomidine in group C.Anesthesia was induced and maintained by target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil,and bispectral index value was maintained at 40-60 during surgery.Patients were extubated after they restored spontaneous breathing completely,opened eyes on verbal command and responded to verbal command,and then the patients were transferred to the recovery room,and oxygen was inhaled by mask.The emergence time,extubation time and development of agitation were recorded.Verbal rating scale was used to assess pain at 30 min after patients were transferred to the recovery room.Results Compared with group C,the incidence of agitation was significantly decreased,pain was reduced,and the emergence time was prolonged in group D (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in extubation time between two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can effectively prevent the occurrence of agitation during recovery from general anesthesia in patients undergoing UPPP.