The effect of low-dose dexmedetomidine on intraoperative hypotension management during functional endoscopic sinus surgery

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the influence of administering low doses of dexmedetomidine on controlled hypotension, the extent of intraoperative bleeding, the requisite dosage of anesthetic agents, and the subsequent recovery trajectory of patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).METHODS: An experimental research design with a double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital and Educational Network Hospital of Makassar. This study enrolled eligible patients slated for FESS under general anesthesia and willingly consented to participate in the research. The treatment group was administered dexmedetomidine at a dosage of 1 mg/kg intravenously over 10 minutes, followed by a maintenance dose of 0.3 mcg/kg/h intravenously. Conversely, the control group received fentanyl at an equivalent rate and duration as the treatment group.RESULTS: Sample characteristics, encompassing age groups and gender, were found to be homogenous, ensuring a lack of significant disparities between the dexmedetomidine-administered and control groups. This uniformity safeguards the research outcomes from the potential influence of demographic variations. Notably, other investigated variables exhibited noteworthy distinctions between the two groups. The dexmedetomidine-administered group demonstrated more stable intraoperative controlled hypotension, diminished bleeding, reduced usage of anesthetic agents, expedited recovery times, lower numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, and diminished postoperative opioid consumption compared to the control group.CONCLUSIONS: The administration of low-dose dexmedetomidine at 0.3 mcg/kg/h has been proved better efficacy compared with the control group which did not receive dexmedetomidine during FESS.