Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Elderly Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia on Early Postoperative Cognitive Function

Objective To observe the effect of dexmedetomidine on early postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients with halothane anesthesia. Methods Sixty elderly patients scheduled for selective abdominal surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group D(Seven halothane composited dexmedetomidine) and Group C(Seven halothane composited saline). Mean arterial pressure(MAP), Heart rate (HR) and Pulse oxygen saturation(SpO2) were record ed before operation(T0), postoperative 5min(T1), 15 min before extubation (T2), 30 min after extubation (T3). The time from the cessation of inhaled drugs to spontaneous breathing recovery time (T4), recovery time (T5), extubation time(T6) and orientation force recovery time(T7) were also recorded. The cognitive function of patients in both groups were tested with mini-mental state examination(MMSE) Test score at 1 day before surgery, 1 day after surgery and the incidence of POCD was calculated. Results Compared with group C, HR decreased and MAP did not change significantly in group D in T0; MAP and HR increased significantly in Group D in T2 and T3 (P0.05); compared with group C, the incidence of POCD decreased at 1 day after surgery in T0. Conclusion Seven halothane complexed dexmedetomidine anaesthesia shows conducive to the postoperative recovery period of hemodynamic stability and can reduce the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients.