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Neuroscience letters · Feb 2014
New therapeutic uses for an alpha2 adrenergic receptor agonist--dexmedetomidine in pain management.
- Xia Zhang and Xiaofeng Bai.
- Department of Anesthesiology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, 117# North Nanjing Street, Shenyang 110002, PR China. Electronic address: zhangxiamd@126.com.
- Neurosci. Lett. 2014 Feb 21;561:7-12.
AbstractDexmedetomidine was initially approved for clinical use as a sedative. Its development in pain management has been limited. Dexmedetomidine has analgesic effects and analgesic-sparing properties, especially for patients with obstructed airways. Mixing dexmedetomidine with local anesthetics is a promising new avenue to enhance local anesthetics' effectiveness. Peripheral, spinal and supraspinal α(2A)-ARs are responsible for the analgesic function of dexmedetomidine. Animal studies have shown that antinociceptive synergism results from co-application of dexmedetomidine and opioids or local anesthetics. Dexmedetomidine has potential adverse effects such as hypotension and bradycardia. Therefore, dexmedetomidine is contraindicated for patients suffering from bradycardia or using β-adrenergic antagonists. Clinical trials of dexmedetomidine in chronic pain or hyperalgesia are lack.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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