• She-liang Shen, Jia-yin Zheng, Jun Zhang, Wen-yuan Wang, Tao Jin, Jing Zhu, and Qi Zhang.
• Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
• Ann Pharmacother. 2013 Nov 1;47(11):1391-9.

BackgroundIt has been reported that dexmedetomidine (DEX) can be used for conscious sedation in awake craniotomy, but few data exist to compare DEX versus propofol (PRO).ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and safety of DEX versus PRO for conscious sedation in awake craniotomy.MethodsThirty patients of American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I-II scheduled for awake craniotomy, were randomized into 2 groups each containing 15 subjects. Group D received DEX and group P received PRO. Two minutes after tracheal intubation (T1), PRO (target plasma concentration) was titrated down to 1 to 4 µg/mL in group P. In group D, PRO was discontinued and DEX was administered 1.0 µg/kg followed by a maintenance dose of 0.2 to 0.7 µg/kg/h. The surgeon preset the anticipated awake point-in-time (T0) preoperatively. Ten minutes before T0 (T3), DEX was titrated down to 0.2 µg/kg/h in group D, PRO was discontinued and normal saline (placebo) 5 mL/h was infused in group P. Arousal time, quality of revival and adverse events during the awake period, degree of satisfaction from surgeons and patients were recorded.ResultsArousal time was significantly shorter in group D than in group P (P < .001). The quality of revival during the awake period in group D was similar to that of group P (P = .68). The degree of satisfaction of surgeons was significantly higher in group D than in group P (P < .001), but no difference was found between the 2 groups with respect to patient satisfaction (P = .80). There was no difference between the 2 groups in the incidence of adverse events during the awake period (P > .05).ConclusionsEither DEX or PRO can be effectively and safely used for conscious sedation in awake craniotomy. Comparing the two, DEX produced a shorter arousal time and a higher degree of surgeon satisfaction.

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