Use of Dexmedetomidine Infusion for Analgesia and Emergence Agitation for Children Undergoing Tonsillectomy and Adenotonsillectomy

Emergence agitation (EA) from general anesthesia is a frequent phenomenon in children age 1-10 yrs recovering from anesthesia that demands increasing nursing care in the PACU, delays reunion with parents and often causes dissatisfaction for parents, and may lead to adverse sequelae in some cases such as physical harm to the child, in particular to the site of surgery (1). Emergence agitation is a state of non purposeful restlessness an inconsolability. This state is often accompanied by thrashing, screaming, prolonged crying and disorientation. Children are generally unaware of their surroundings and cannot be consoled by the caregivers/parents. It is very disturbing for parents to observe this behavior in their children. It is also a safety issue for children and staff. These negative effects of EA have motivated clinicians to investigate possible etiologies and potential treatments for EA.

EA may be in part due to the relative paucity of inhibitory neurotransmitters in children's central nervous system (CNS). As well, all modern anesthetics have been designed to be rapidly eliminated resulting in abrupt change from a state of anesthesia to a state of responsiveness. The result is a difficult problem managing these patients over a 30-50 minute period following pediatric anesthesia.

We propose studying patients scheduled for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Adenotonsillar hypertrophy may produce upper airway obstruction, dysphagia, dental malocclusion, altered orofacial growth, altered eustachian tube function, or pulmonary hypertension with cor pulmonale. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with loud snoring during sleep with periods of respiratory pauses terminated with gasping and agitated arousal and has been suggested to have developmental consequences including ADHD, failure to thrive, and nocturnal enuresis (2). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is most commonly associated with adenotonsillar hypertrophy and more children are now presenting for adenotonsillectomy (3). Tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy are highly successful in eliminating OSA in children and is considered first-line therapy if the family is amenable and there are no specific contraindications, and is approximately 85-95% effective in eliminating OSA in children (4). All children undergoing tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy should be considered to be at increased risk for perioperative airway problems (5). Opioids may cause respiratory depression, and thus present an added risk in patients undergoing tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy, especially in children with OSA (6).

The purpose of this study is to determine if intravenous dexmedetomidine given as an infusion during general anesthesia for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy reduces the incidence and severity of emergence agitation in the 60 minutes following surgery compared to normal practice. A second outcome is whether the need for intra-operative and postoperative analgesic narcotic medications is reduced.

Dexmedetomidine, a specific alpha 2-adrenergic receptor agonist, has recently been studied for its sedative, amnestic, and analgesic properties and has been shown to be effective in providing sedation, decreased anesthetic requirements during surgery and in postanesthesia care units, and reduction in emergence agitation (7, 8, 9). Dexmedetomidine has been shown to enhance the analgesic action of nitrous oxide and furthermore it has also been shown to be effective as a total intravenous anesthetic agent in certain patients if doses are increased to a high enough level, with no respiratory depression (10, 11). If dexmedetomidine can be shown to reduce or eliminate emergence agitation, and provide effective intraoperative and postoperative analgesia without respiratory depression, this would give anesthesiologists a better option in the management of patients undergoing tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy.