Per operative Intravenous Use of Dexmedetomidine to Reduce Post-operative Analgesic Requirement in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Operation

Background: Adequate control of postoperative pain is significant in enhancing patient comfort and recovery. Although opioids are frequently utilized for analgesia, their administration is frequently accompanied by dependency risks and side effects. Dexmedetomidine, a potent alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, has been investigated as a promising alternative because it possesses analgesic and opioid-sparing capabilities. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine in managing postoperative pain and opioid consumption in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods: Sixty patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to two groups: Group A was given infusion of dexmedetomidine at a dose of 0.5 µg/kg/hr and Group B was given normal saline. Postoperative pain was assessed at every 2 hours for 24 hours on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Opioid consumption (pethidine) was also noted at the same intervals. Data analysis was conducted with the help of SPSS v25 and statistical significance was considered at p<0.05. Results: VAS scores were consistently and significantly lower in Group A across all postoperative time points compared to Group B (p<0.01). Furthermore, Group A demonstrated a substantially lower need for pethidine throughout the 24-hour period (e.g., 47.0±3.6 mg vs. 72.6±2.3 mg at 2 hours; 25.4±2.4 mg vs. 64.3±2.8 mg at 24 hours; p<0.01). Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine reduces postoperative pain considerably and reduces opioid requirement, acting as a useful adjunct to postoperative pain management in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Its twofold benefit of enhanced analgesia and reduced opioid consumption makes it an attractive solution to the problem of postoperative pain management and opioid excess. JAFMC Bangladesh, Vol-22, No-1, June 2026: 59-63