Postoperative analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Aim Open heart surgeries are painful procedures that require a large dose of analgesics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of postoperative dexmedetomidine (DEX) on the analgesic requirements in postcardiac surgery patients. Settings and design This prospective, randomized, double-blind study was conducted on 60 patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery at the Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, Ain Shams University Hospital. Patients and methods this study, group D (n=30) received DEX diluted to 4 μg/ml and infused at a rate of 0.1–0.2 μg/kg/h, whereas group C (n=30) received an equal volume of saline at an infusion rate of 0.1–0.2 μg/kg/h immediately from the end of surgery and postoperatively in the ICU thereafter. Postoperative analgesia was assessed using the Numeric Pain Intensity Scale, and sedation was assessed using the Modified Ramsay Score at T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 for the first 24 h, as well as postoperative rescue morphine analgesic requirements. Statistical analysis Analysis of data was performed using the Student t-test for independent samples for parametric data and using the χ2-tests for categorical data. Results There was a significant decrease in the pain scores in group D compared with group C (P<0.001). Morphine rescue analgesia was needed in 10% of patients in group D and in 95% of patients in group C, with a significant reduction in time to extubation and ICU length of stay in group D. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was lower in group D compared with group C but did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Adding DEX after coronary artery bypass graft decreased both postoperative analgesic requirement and pain score without hemodynamic effects.