Effect of Dexmedetomidine Premedication on the Intraocular Pressure Changes after Succinylcholine and Intubation

succinylcholine is still recommended for some situations in open globe injuries. However its use is associated with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) which may be deleterious in open globe injuries. We investigated whether dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 agonist, could attenuate this increase in IOP after succinylcholine and intubation. Forty patients with no pre-existing eye disease undergoing general anesthesia were randomly premedicated by i.v dexmedetomidine 0.3mg/kg or saline. Heart rate(HR), mean arterial pressure(MAP),and IOP (using Schioetz tonometer) were measured before, after the premedication, after thiopental, after succinylcholine, immediately after intubation, and then every 3 min for 9 min succinylcholine and intubation increased IOP in both groups. However, in the dexmedetomidine group, the IOP rise was not different from the baseline value (P,0.65) and was significantly lower than in the saline group (P,0.003).After intubation, the MAP in the control group was higher than that in the dexmedetomidine group (P,0.041) and exceeded base line value(P,0.001). The HR also showed less fluctuation in the dexmedetomidine group than in the saline group. We conclude that dexmedetomidine premedication (0.3mg/kg) could be beneficial in open globe injuries.