Dexmeditomidine and Anaesthesia: Indications and Review of Literature - Abstract
The use of alpha-2 agonists in anesthesia practice is not new and had been started in the late twentieth century. Clonidine, the prototype of alpha-2 agonist, is widely used as an adjunct in anaesthesia and pain medicine. Dexmedetomidine is the next generation alpha-2 agonist with high selectivity for alpha-2 receptors (1600:1). This agent is 10 times more potent than clonidine and associated with fewer hemodynamic and systemic side effects. In addition, it has a reversible drug for its sedative property. More than 1000 clinical trials and studies have been published regarding the use of dexmedetomidine in humans with reasonable results. This article aims to illustrate the various modes and utilities of dexmedetomidine with its appropriate dosage in the field of anesthesiology, pain and perioperative medicine.