Efficacy and safety of different doses of dexmedetomidine on gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic colorectal surgery

BACKGROUND Postoperative gastrointestinal recovery affects hospital stay time and patient’s quality of life. Studies suggest that the use of dexmedetomidine during the perioperative period can promote post operational recovery of gastrointestinal function. AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of dexmedetomidine on postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. METHODS In this large-sample, retrospective study, 879 patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery were categorized into three groups: A control group receiving no dexmedetomidine (n = 281), a low-dose group receiving an intraoperative bolus of 0.5 μg/kg dexmedetomidine followed by a continuous infusion of 0.2 μg/kg/hour (n = 313), and a high-dose group receiving a 1.0 μg/kg bolus followed by a 0.5 μg/kg/hour infusion (n = 285). Time to postoperative first flatus, feces, and regular diet, and the intake, feeling nauseated, emesis, physical examination, and duration of symptoms score were evaluated. RESULTS Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, comorbidities and surgical site were not related to the time to first flatus (all P > 0.05). The times to postoperative first flatus, first feces, and regular diet were earlier in both dexmedetomidine groups than the control group (both P < 0.05). More patients in the control group experienced postoperative gastrointestinal intolerance (both P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the high- and the low-dose groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of intraoperative bradycardia in the high-dose group was higher than that in the control group (19.15% vs 8.19%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Both low- and high-dose dexmedetomidine regimens enhance postoperative gastrointestinal recovery after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. The low-dose regimen demonstrates superior safety, supporting its integration into multimodal enhanced recovery pathways.