Dexmedetomidine Versus Fentanyl Infusion as Adjuvants to General Anesthesia Using Sevoflurane in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

Background: Opioids have been used in the intraoperative and postoperative management in bariatric surgery patients. However, with the increasing use of Dexmedetomidine alpha2 stimulant, we designed this study to compare the intraoperative and early postoperative effects of both methods, regarding hemodynamic, respiratory, sedative effects and rate of morbidity. Methods: Eighty bariatric patients were randomly recruited into the study after obtaining local ethical committee approval and written informed consent. Patients were randomly allocated to either Group F: (40 patients) received fentanyl infusion as Intra-operative analgesia and Group D: (40 patients) received Dexmedetomidine infusion. Both groups were compared as regarding intra-operative hemodynamics, time from cessation of anesthesia to recovery, immediate post-operative pain score. Results: The study included 80 bariatric patients underwent laparoscopic weight reduction surgeries. Dexmedetomidine group showed better intra-operative hemodynamic parameters, shorter recovery time, lower immediate post-operative pain scores and less respiratory depression than fentanyl group ( pvalue 0.001). Conclusion: In comparison to fentanyl, Dexmedetomidine provided significantly lower pain scores, lower respiratory depression and shorter recovery time than fentanyl.