Dexmedetomidine as a primary sedative agent after single-stage airway reconstruction.

Objective: To examine the outcomes of children receiving dexmedetomidine after single-stage airway reconstruction.

Study Design: Historical cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care children's hospital.

Case report: an unforeseen peril of parental presence during induction of anesthesia.

Parental presence during induction of anesthesia is a common practice to allay perioperative anxiety in the pediatric population. We present the first documented case in the anesthesia literature of parental interruption of induction of anesthesia. The report is to inform practitioners of the need for perioperative screening, education, and contingency planning to prepare for the possibility of familial disruption during pediatric inductions, cesarean deliveries, and other practice settings that may have lay people present.

The effect of dexmedetomidine during myringotomy and pressure-equalizing tube placement in children.

Background: Bilateral myringotomy (BMT) is a commonly performed otolaryngologic procedure in children.

Objectives: To examine the effects of intranasal dexmedetomidine, an α(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, on time-averaged pain scores, pain control, need for rescue analgesia, and agitation scores in children undergoing BMT.

Methods: We designed a trial to enroll 160 children randomized to one of four groups: two study groups, dexmedetomidine (1 or 2 μg·kg(-1)), or two control groups representing our institutional standards of practice (intranasal fentanyl-2 μg·kg(-1) or acetaminophen as needed postoperatively).

High-dose dexmedetomidine increases the opioid-free interval and decreases opioid requirement after tonsillectomy in children.

Purpose: Dexmedetomidine, a selective α(2) adrenoreceptor agonist, has analgesic and sedative properties, minimal impact on respiratory parameters, and reportedly decreases analgesic requirements after surgery. Given its pharmacodynamic profile, dexmedetomidine might have a role for postoperative pain control in children undergoing tonsillectomy. In this study, we hypothesized that dexmedetomidine would delay and decrease opioid requirements after tonsillectomy.

The use of dexmedetomidine to facilitate acute discontinuation of opioids after cardiac transplantation in children.

Objective: To report the use of dexmedetomidine to facilitate rapid opioid and benzodiazepine withdrawal in children with transplanted hearts and to review the receptor physiology and pharmacodynamic impact of dexmedetomidine on the denervated heart.

Design: Case series.

Setting: Intensive care unit at a tertiary pediatric medical center.