Does single dose premedication of dexmedetomidine reduce pain during injection of propofol

Abstract

Abstract Background and objective: Pain on injection is still a major problem with propofol. In this study, we compared the efficacy of single-dose premedication of dexmedetomidine for pain on injection of propofol and its effect on the incidence and the severity of the pain after propofol injection. Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized and double-blind study of 100 patients scheduled to undergo surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups, either receiving dexmedetomidine (Group D) or saline (Group C) before the injection of propofol. Patients in Group D (n = 50) were given dexmedetomidine infusion 0.6 μg/kg for 10 min. Patients in Group C (n = 50) were given saline infusion in an identical manner. Pain perception was assessed during injection of propofol in all patients. Results: The median pain score on injection of propofol was significantly lower in Group D than in Group C (median pain score 2 [1–3] vs 1 [0–2]; P < 0.006). The number of patients with pain in Group D decrea...