Dexmedetomidine in cardiac anesthesia

There is an ever increasing number of invasive cardiovascular procedures performed annually all over the world. Most of these procedures are known to have a high complication rate; the most common cause of these complications being the surgical stress response with resultant impaired myocardial oxygen supply and demand ratio. The use of dexmedetomidine in cardiac anesthesia has shown promising results in decreasing the complication rates in these patients. It is shorter acting, highly selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist and has analgesic, sedative, anxiolytic and sympatholytic properties. Published studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated beneficial role of perioperative use of dexmedetomidine in cardiac anesthesia. It is relatively a new drug and in order to further confirm its beneficial effects during cardiac anesthesia, more well designed, clinical trials are needed to make evidence based recommendations for its use in specific circumstances and establish its permanent place in cardiac anesthesia.