ArticlePain and therapy2016
Efficacy of Intraoperative Dexmedetomidine Compared with Placebo for Postoperative Pain Management: A Meta-Analysis of Published Studies.
Article in Pain and therapy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Dexmedetomidine Combined With Dezocine and Flubiprofen for Postoperative Intravenous Patient Controlled Analgesia After Colorectal Surgery
Caudal Block Versus Dorsal Penile Nerve Block Plus Ring Block for Pain Management of Different Surgical Techniques of Circumcision in Infants and Children
Opioid Sparing Analgesia Continuous Intraoperative Infusion of Dexmedetomidine Versus Lidocaine for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy a Randomized Double-blind Clinical Trial
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guidelines for treatment of acute pain in children - the consensus statement of the Section of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the Polish Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy.Anaesthesiology intensive therapy · 2022Guideline
- Efficaciousness of dexmedetomidine in children undergoing cleft lip and palate repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: A meta-analysis.Medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Guidelines for Perioperative Care for Pancreatoduodenectomy: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Recommendations 2019.World journal of surgery · 2020Pooled it
- The Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Emergence Agitation or Delirium in Children After Anesthesia-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2020Pooled it
- The effect of midazolam on pain control after knee arthroscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2017Pooled it
- The Effect of Dexmedetomidine on the Acute Pain After Cardiothoracic Surgeries: A Systematic Review.Brazilian journal of cardiovascular surgeryPooled it
- Effects of Dexmedetomidine Nasal Sprays on Postoperative Sleep Quality in Patients Who Underwent Laparoscopic Gynaecological Surgery: A Single-Centre, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Trial
- Low-Dose Esketamine Plus Dexmedetomidine in Patient-Controlled Intravenous Analgesia Improves Post-Cesarean Sleep Quality: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Trial
- Outcomes of dexmedetomidine as adjuvant drug in patients undergoing videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized and prospective clinical trial.International journal of immunopathology and pharmacologyTrial
- Postoperative pain management in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Dexmedetomidine-Based Anesthesia for Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy: A Retrospective Observational Case Series.Cureus · 2025Article
- The Perioperative Use of Dexmedetomidine in Paediatric Patients.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Postoperative Lidocaine and Ketamine Effects on Morphine Requirement in Bariatric Surgery.Obesity surgery · 2025Article
- Effects of Dexmedetomidine on Immunomodulation and Pain Control in Videolaparoscopic Cholecystectomies: A Randomized, Two-Arm, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Analgesic effect of dexmedetomidine in colorectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.Saudi medical journal · 2022Article
- An assessment of dexmedetomidine as an opioid-sparing agent after neonatal open thoracic and abdominal operations.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2022Article
- Opioid Sparing Analgesics in Spine Surgery.Advances in orthopedics · 2022Review
- Article
- Association Between Race and Ethnicity with Intraoperative Analgesic Administration and Initial Recovery Room Pain Scores in Pediatric Patients: a Single-Center Study of 21,229 Surgeries.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionDexmedetomidine (Dex) has sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic-sparing effects. This meta-analysis examines demonstrated intraoperative and postoperative effects of intraoperative Dex administration during pediatric surgery.
methodsA search for randomized placebo-controlled trials was conducted to identify clinical trials examining intraoperative Dex use in children, infants, and neonates. Primary outcome was postoperative opioid consumption; secondary outcomes were: postoperative pain intensity and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).
resultsFourteen randomized controlled trials performed during painful procedures were analyzed. Intraoperative Dex administration was associated with significantly reduced postoperative opioid consumption in the postanesthesia care unit [PACU; risk ratio (RR) = 0.31 (0.17, 0.59), I (2) = 76%, p < 0.0001 and cumulative z score using trial sequential analysis], decreased pain intensity in PACU [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.18 (-1.88, -0.48), I (2) = 91%, p < 0.0001] but had no effect upon PONV incidence [RR = 0.67 (0.41, 1.08), I (2) = 0%, p = 0.48]. Subgroup analyses found administering Dex during adenotonsillectomy and using a bolus <0.5 µg/kg (irrespective to the use of a continuous administration) without effects on studies outcomes. Heterogeneity was high among results and a high suspicion of publication bias was present for all analyzed outcomes.
conclusionsThis meta-analysis shows that intraoperative Dex administration in children reduces postoperative opioids consumption and postoperative pain in PACU. According to our results, optimal bolus dose was found to be ≥0.5 µg/kg. Future studies have to explore this particular point and the postoperative analgesic effects of Dex during longer periods.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.