Comparison of Different Doses of Dexmedetomidine in Attenuating Extubation Response in Patients with Hypertension Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Objective: To compare different doses of dexmedetomidine in attenuating extubation response in hypertensive patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anesthesia, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Sep 2022 to Feb 2023. Methodology: Patients were segregated into two groups D1 (n=90) and D2 (n=90). Group-D1 received 0.5 mcg/kg of Dexmedetomidine in 10 ml of normal saline while Group-D2 received 1 mcg/kg of Dexmedetomidine diluted in normal saline (10 ml). Both the titrations were administered as an infusion over 10 minutes before extubation. Results: Post-extubation mean heart rate varied from 86.27±3.48 beats per minute in the D1 versus 66.01±1.69 beats per minute in the Group-D2 (p<0.001). Similarly, mean arterial pressure varied from 97.40±1.23 mmHg in D1 to 80.88±1.77 mmHg in the Group-D2 (p<0.001). The quality of extubation was statistically better in the Group-D2 (p<0.001) Conclusion: We conclude that 1 mcg/kg of Dexmedetomidine is a better dose than 0.5 mcg/kg in blunting extubation responses and providing more than satisfactory control of bradycardia and hypotension which is advantageous during extubation.