Optimal Dose of Dexmedetomidine for Attenuation of Endotracheal Intubation Pressor Response Using Cardiometry. a Randomized, Double-blinded Study

Various drugs include local anesthetics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and narcotic analgesics have been tried to blunt the laryngoscopy and intubation response, with varied success. Dexmedetomidine is a potent and highly selective alpha-2 receptor agonist with sympatholytic, sedative, amnestic, and analgesic properties. Its various effects have led to its increasing use for reducing anesthetic and analgesic requirements in the perioperative period. It inhibits sympathetic activity thus terminating the pain signals and thereby blunts the pressor response associated with laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. Electrical cardiometry is recently introduced for assessment of many cardiovascular variables and continuously applicable method of cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), and other hemodynamic parameters monitoring. Its use is growing because it is non-invasive, shows reliability in CO measurements and can be used as a continuous bedside monitor Although different doses of dexmedetomidine (0.5- 2.0 μg/kg) have been used in various studies which suggested its efficacy in blunting the hemodynamic pressor response , However, no studies to the best of our knowledge had incorporated CO monitoring for detection of minimal hemodynamic changes during laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation which can be best achieved by using Cardiometry monitor.

In this study, we will compare two doses of dexmedetomidine for prophylaxis against pressor response of ETI using cardiometry.