The effect of perioperative use of dexmedetomidine on pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing congenital cardiac surgery

Background Anesthetic management of a pediatric patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) poses an enormous challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of dexmedetomidine to reduce the pulmonary artery pressure in pediatric patients with PAH undergoing cardiac surgery. Patients and method Seventy patients diagnosed with PAH were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized into two groups: group D received dexmedetomidine infusion of 1 μg/kg/h for one hour, which was reduced to 0.5 μg/kg/h throughout the surgery until extubation in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), and group C received 0.9% normal saline in the same volume. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and systemic systolic blood pressure (SSBP) were recorded throughout surgery and postoperatively in the PACU. The need for vasodilator and sedative drugs and the time of extubation and ICU stay were recorded for all patients. Results The patients in the dexmedetomidine group showed a significant decrease in PASP and PASP/SSBP ratio during surgery and throughout the first 24 h in the PACU (P<0.001). The dexmedetomidine group required a significantly lower amount of vasodilator drugs than the control group (P<0.001), as well as a lower amount of sedatives (P<0.001). Conclusion We concluded that perioperative use of dexmedetomidine in pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension reduces the PASP throughout the operative and postoperative period.