Shorter postanesthesia care unit stay with dexmedetomidine infusion during laparoscopic bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction Lesser narcotics use during laparoscopic bariatric surgery is needed to decrease the impact on respiratory parameters and reduce analgesic requirements after surgery. Using dexmedetomidine has a role in perioperative pain control in obese patients’ recovery in postanesthetic care unit (PACU) and hospital stay. In this study, we hypothesized that dexmedetomidine would delay and decrease opioid requirements during surgery, promoting less time in the PACU and faster, safer recovery. Patients and methods After obtaining ethics committee approval, informed consent to participate in this study was obtained from 56 patients who were scheduled for planned laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Patients were randomly divided into two groups − group D (n=28) received dexmedetomidine 1 µg/kg loading for 10 min and 0.4 µg/kg/h maintenance until extubation, and group N (n=28) received normal saline (placebo) at the same volume and rate. PACU stay time, the total amount of intraoperative fentanyl used, recovery profile, pain score, and the total amount of pethidine used postoperatively were measured. Results The dexmedetomidine group showed significant decrease in intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamics, shorter recovery time, and shorter stay in PACU. Perioperative narcotic use, intraoperative fentanyl use, visual analog scale scores, PACU pethidine dose in the first hour, and total pethidine dose on the first day were significantly less in the dexmedetomidine group. Patient satisfaction at discharge regarding pain management was less in the control group. Conclusion Intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion with its opioid-sparing effect enhanced recovery in this study population of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery with minimal side-effects.