Research Symposium Program - Individual Details

Dexmedetomidine for Reducing Opioid use in Laparoscopic Procedures

Abstract

Most people who are going to undergo a surgical procedure want to receive the best treatment possible. Desirable outcomes are always having as little pain as possible, getting back home as quickly as possible, and not having much nausea or other adverse effects. Some of these adverse effects could be from the surgery itself but also could be from the anesthesia provided. For this reason, it is critical that anesthesia providers know the best anesthesia practices to facilitate the best treatment for their patients. This paper aims to show the efficacy of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery to increase satisfaction with some of these desired effects, as mentioned above. These benefits and effects lead to the discussion of the PICO question: Do adult patients who have laparoscopic procedures (P) who receive dexmedetomidine during the perioperative period (I) have lower pain scores in the PACU (O) compared to adult patients having laparoscopic procedures who do not receive dexmedetomidine (C)? Utilizing this question, a focused literature search was conducted and found that it is statistically significant that dexmedetomidine does cause a reduction in the use of opioids, which helps facilitate faster recovery times, less pain after surgery, and less nausea and vomiting. This information was provided and shared with anesthesia providers at a hospital in the South East area. This hospital already had a strong basis of knowledge regarding dexmedetomidine and already used the drug frequently. There was not any statistically significant increase in the use of dexmedetomidine during laparoscopic cases.

Keywords: Dexmedetomidine, Laparoscopic procedures, Opioids