Dexmedetomidine: a novel anesthetic agent for middle ear surgery

Proper selection of anesthetic technique is important in otologic surgical procedures. In the middle ear microsurgery an anesthetic agent must provide bloodless, good surgical field visibility for safe tympanic membrane reconstruction, safe ossicular reconstruction with respect to the basic anatomic structure of the middle ear. Additionally, no alteration of intratympanic pressure is acceptable during the anesthetic act and after its discontinuation. Consequently, postoperative nausea and vomiting should be minimal after tympanoplasty operations for the stability of tympanic graft and ossicles. Therefore, the anesthesiologist must use a technique that provides a sufficiently deep level of anesthesia with minimal intraoperative movement, rapid emergence, good hemodynamic control and tympanometric stability. Currently, many inhaler and intravenous (IV) anesthesia could be preferred for otologic surgical procedures and they offer ideal intraoperative conditions. Dexmedetomidine is a novel analgesic agent that helps this inhaler or IV anesthesia at preoperative state, postoperative period and during surgery especially for hemodynamic stability. In this article, pharmacocinetic properties of dexmedetomidine were described, its advantages for patients undergoing surgery,related patents and its role in otologic surgery were discussed.