Abstract

Dexmedetomidine (Dexmed) belongs to the imidazole subclass of α2 receptor agonists,
similar to clonidine. It is a potent and highly selective α2 adrenoreceptor agonist,approved
by FDA in 1999 for use in humans for analgesia and sedation. It has a greater affinity for
α2 receptors over α1 (1620:1). Its α2/α1 selectivity ratio is eight times higher than that of
clonidine. All patients underwent a thorough preanaesthetic check-up. Written informed
consent was obtained from each patient after explaining the procedure in a language that
the patient understood. Patients were kept NPO from midnight and advised Tab. Diazepam
(0.1-0.15 mg/kg) and Tab. Rantac 150 mg night before and at 6 AM on the morning of
surgery with sips of water. The mean Etsevo in Group D was 0.29±0.02% and in Group C, it
was 0.31±0.01% upto 5 mins after intubation. Thereafter, it showed an increasing trend in
both the groups.From 5 minutes post insufflation, mean Etsevo (0.48±0.20%) was higher in
Group C as compared to Group D (0.33±0.11%). The difference was very highly significant
upto about 30 minutes of CO2 insufflation. There after mean Etsevo (0.32±0.01%) was
comparable in both the groups till the end of surgery.