Impact of Dexmedetomidine on Intraoperative Wake-Up Tests in Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgery

Purpose To evaluate the impact of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on intraoperative wake-up tests. Design American Society of Anesthesiologists category I or II patients were divided into two groups: a propofol-remifentanil group (group R, n=20) and a DEX-propofol-remifentanil group (group D, n=20). Methods The patients in group D received DEX, whereas the patients in group R received the same volume of saline. The other anesthetic methods and drugs (propofol and remifentanil) were the same in both groups. During the wake-up test, patients were repeatedly asked to move their fingers. Findings All the wake-up tests were successfully performed. There was no significant difference in the mean wake-up time between the two groups. Eighteen patients exhibited better wake-up quality in group D as did eight patients in group R. The patients in group D had a significantly better overall wake-up quality than those in group R ( P Conclusions DEX did not affect the wake-up time and increased the wake-up quality.