Cigarette smoking and the effect of dexmedetomidine and fentanyl on tracheal intubation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To compare the effect of dexmedetomidine and fentanyl on hemodynamic changes in chronic male smokers. METHODS This is a prospective, randomized, blinded study. Were selected 60 chronic male smokers (aged 16 to 60 years). The patients were randomly divided into two groups: Group D (n=30) received 1μg.kg(-1) dexmedetomidine and Group F (n=30) received 3μg.kg(-1) fentanyl in 150mL of normal saline, beginning 10 minutes before anesthesia induction. Before intubation, the heart rate and blood pressure of patients were measured. After anesthesia induction for endotracheal intubation, heart rate and blood pressure values were measured at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after intubation. RESULTS Heart rate was low in Group D before anesthesia induction, intubation, and at the 1st and 3rd minutes after intubation. Systolic arterial pressure was low in Group F before intubation. Although diastolic arterial pressure was lower before anesthesia induction and at 5 minutes after intubation in both groups, it was already low in Group F before intubation. Whereas the mean arterial pressure was low in Group D before anesthesia induction, it was low in Group F before intubation. The values for rate-pressure product were low in Group D before induction and at 1 and 3 minutes after intubation. CONCLUSIONS Dexmedetomidine, which was applied via infusion at a loading dose of 1μg.kg(-1) 10 minutes before anesthesia induction in chronic male smokers, better suppressed increases in heart rate and rate-pressure product at 1 and 3 minutes after intubation compared to the group receiving 3μg.kg(-1) fentanyl.