The effect of two different dexmedetomidine doses on the prevention of nausea and vomiting in discectomy surgery under spinal anesthesia

Considering the preventative effect of various medications on such complications after surgery, the present study evaluated the effect of two different dexmedetomidine doses on the prevention of nausea and vomiting in discectomy surgery.

The present controlled, double‑blind clinical trial was performed on 135 patients that were candidates for discectomy surgery under spinal anesthesia, which were randomly allocated into three groups. Two different dexmedetomidine doses of 0.2 and 0.5 mcg/kg/h were intravenously administered using an infusion pump for 10 min in the first (DEX‑0.2 group) and second (DEX‑0.5 group) groups, respectively, with the third placebo group being used as a control group. Hemodynamic parameters, the severity of nausea and vomiting, and the incidence of complications were evaluated and recorded up to 24 h after surgery.

The results of the present study revealed that, 20 min after the intervention, the severity of nausea and vomiting in the control group (with the mean of 1.95 ± 1.58) was significantly higher than that of the DEX‑0.2 and DEX‑0.5 groups with the means of 1.52 ± 1.11 and 1.27 ± 0.99, respectively (P = 0.010). In addition, no significant difference was found between the two dexmedetomidine doses in terms of the severity of nausea and vomiting (P > 0.05).

According to the results of the present study, a low dose of dexmedetomidine may be a more preferable choice as a preventive drug in the incidence of nausea and vomiting in discectomy surgery due to its lower complications, further reduction of nausea and vomiting, and more desirable hemodynamic stability.