Effect of dexmedetomidine on postoperative recovery of patients after retroperitoneal laparoscopy.

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on postoperative recovery of patients after retroperitoneal laparoscopy. Methods Fifty patients of ASA Ⅰ~Ⅱ grade scheduled for retroperitoneal laparoscopy were randomly divided into two groups: the study group (n=25) and the control group (n=25). Patients in the study group were given micro infusion pump of dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg for 10 min when closed pneumoperitoneum, while those in the control group were given the dose of saline. The change of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were observed at drug withdrawal (T0), extubation (T1), 5 min after extubation (T2), and 10 min after extubation (T3). Spontaneous breathing recovery time, time to eye opening, extubation time, OAA/S score and restlessness were recorded. Results The MAP, HR in the study group was significantly lower than those in the control group at T1 and T2 (P0.05), and the incidence of postoperative restlessness and OAA/S score in the study group were also significantly lower (P0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in spontaneous breathing recovery time, time to eye opening and extubation time (P0.05). Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can inhibit extubation of the stress response effectively and produce a satisfactory postoperative sedation, which reduces the incidence of restlessness and improve the quality of recovery.