The effect of dexmedetomidine on left ventricular function in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting by transesophageal echocardiography

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on left ventricular function in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).Methods The study was a prospective,randomized and placebo-control clinical trial.Eighty patients undergoing CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were divided into dexmedetomidine group (group D)and control group (group C) by random digits table method with 40 cases each.A loading dose of dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg was injected intravenously 10 min after induction followed by infusion at 0.4 μ g/(kg· h) until the end of operation in group D,while equal volume of normal saline was given in group C.Left ventricular function was assessed by transesophageal echocardiography before the infusion of dexmedetomidine (T1),at the end of the infusion of loading dose (T2),before CPB (T3) and at the end of the operation (T4).Results Compared with those at T1,left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional area change decreased significantly [(58.0 ± 12.0)％,(60.0 ± 9.6)％ vs.(63.0 ± 8.6)％ and (46.0 ± 9.3)％,(48.0 ± 8.4)％ vs.(51.0 ± 6.7)％] (P ＜ 0.05 or ＜ 0.01),E/A ratio increased significantly (1.05 ± 0.27,1.07 ±0.31 vs.0.98 ±0.19)(P ＜0.05 or ＜0.01) and myocardial performance index (MPI) decreased significantly (0.46 ± 0.14,0.45 ± 0.12 vs.0.51 ± 0.14) (P ＜ 0.05) at T2 and T3 in group D,while stroke volume was not significantly changed (P＞ 0.05).Compared with that in group C,E/A ratio and rapid filling fraction in group D was significantly higher [1.06 ± 0.18 vs.0.97 ± 0.18,(62.0 ± 7.1)％ vs.(58.0 ± 7.3)％],and S/D ratio and MPI was significantly lower at T4(1.17 ± 0.21 vs.1.29 ± 0.22,0.43 ± 0.15 vs.0.50 ± 0.15),and there were significant differences (P ＜ 0.05).There was no difference in the parameters indicating left ventricular systolic function (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Dexmedetomidine restrains left ventricular systolic function in the patients undergoing CABG,but does not decrease the cardiac output,and improve relaxation dysfunction of left ventricular diastolic function.Global left ventricular function is improved by dexmedetomidine after CABG. Key words: Cornary artery bypass,off-pump; Echocardiography, stress; Dexmedetomidine; Ventricular function, left