Evaluation of the Hemodynamic Effect of Dexmedetomidine in Scheduled Outpatient Surgery

Ambulatory surgery is increasingly used in anesthesia. In case of general anesthesia, it is recommended to use anesthesia molecules with a short half-life and low doses of opiates to ensure a rapid awakening and to prevent nausea and vomiting by systematic administration of anti-emetics during the operation.

Opiates (including sufentanil) have recently been called into question because of the nausea and vomiting and the delay in waking up induced by these molecules. To combat these side effects, the authors have proposed either to reduce the doses or to substitute them with dexmedetomidine, a sedative antihypertensive drug. Recent studies have demonstrated that opiates used in general anesthesia can be replaced by dexmedetomidine. However, literature data are controversial concerning the hemodynamic impact. No study has compared the hemodynamic profile of opioid-free anesthesia with dexmedetomidine versus conventional anesthesia with opioids.

The ambulatory context lends itself to the use of dexmedetomidine because it is aimed at a population without strong cardiac pathology, concerns non-major interventions, with the need to optimize pain and side effects.

The study authors therefore wish to compare the effects of induction of general anesthesia with low-dose Dexmedetomidine versus sufentanil, on post-induction hemodynamic stability in scheduled outpatient surgeries. The investigators hypothesize that hemodynamic stability at induction of general anesthesia with low-dose dexmedetomidine is not inferior to that obtained with sufentanil in scheduled ambulatory surgeries.