Dexmedetomidine Controls Supraventricular Tachycardia Following Cardiac Surgery in a Child

Dexmedetomidine is an α2-adrenergic agonist which initially received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the United States in 1999 for the sedation of adults during mechanical ventilation and then in 2009 for monitored anesthesia care. Although generally viewed as an adverse effect, bradycardia and the negative chronotropic effects may be beneficial in certain patient populations and have occasionally been used as a therapeutic maneuver. We present a case summary describing intraoperative and postoperative use of dexmedetomidine to treat and control supraventricular tachycardia in a 5-year-old boy undergoing surgical repair of a large atrial septal defect. The specific effects of dexmedetomidine on the cardiac conduction system are reviewed and previous reports of its use as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of perioperative tachyarrhythmias are discussed.