Dexmedetomidine Flashcards
What is Dexmedetomidine and its clinical uses?
Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used as a sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic in various settings, known for sedation without significant respiratory depression.
How does Dexmedetomidine provide sedation without affecting respiratory function?
It offers sedation and anxiolysis while preserving spontaneous respiration, unlike benzodiazepines or opioids, reducing the risk of respiratory depression.
What are the analgesic properties of Dexmedetomidine?
Dexmedetomidine has analgesic effects that reduce the need for opioids, beneficial for patients at risk for opioid-related adverse effects.
Explain the anxiolytic effects of Dexmedetomidine.
It alleviates anxiety, useful in preoperative settings or during awake procedures that might distress patients.
Discuss the synergistic effects of Dexmedetomidine with other anesthetics.
When combined with other anesthetics or sedatives, it allows for reduced doses of those agents, minimizing their side effects.
How does Dexmedetomidine affect cognitive function?
It has less impact on cognitive function compared to benzodiazepines, preferred where preservation of cognitive function is desired.
Describe the hemodynamic stability provided by Dexmedetomidine.
Dexmedetomidine produces a stable hemodynamic profile, beneficial in patients with cardiovascular compromise or during procedures requiring hemodynamic stability.
What makes Dexmedetomidine suitable for ICU sedation?
It is used for ICU sedation for lighter sedation levels with easier arousal and better cooperation during assessments.
How is Dexmedetomidine used in awake craniotomy?
It’s successfully used for sedation during awake craniotomies, allowing patient cooperation while maintaining sedation and analgesia.
Detail Dexmedetomidine’s mechanism of action.
Dexmedetomidine binds to alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, inhibiting adenylate cyclase, decreasing cAMP levels, reducing norepinephrine release, and modulating pain pathways, leading to sedation, anxiolysis, and analgesia.
What are the key pharmacological effects of Dexmedetomidine?
It produces sedation, anxiolysis, analgesia, sympatholysis, and has a biphasic blood pressure response, with intraoperative anesthetic sparing and hemodynamic stabilizing effects.
Discuss the blood pressure response to Dexmedetomidine.
It evokes transient hypertension during loading due to alpha-2B receptor mediation, followed by a decrease in blood pressure due to alpha-2A agonism.
How does Dexmedetomidine affect the respiratory system?
Its effects on the respiratory system are mild, with no evidence of respiratory depression, and it has synergistic sedative effects when combined with other agents.
Describe the impact of Dexmedetomidine on plasma catecholamine levels.
It decreases plasma catecholamine levels, reducing sympathetic outflow.
What are the sedative effects of Dexmedetomidine?
Its sedative effects resemble a physiologic sleep state, differentiating it from other sedatives.
