Trial reportMedicine2019
Intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine amplifies thoracic epidural analgesic effect after open thoracotomy: A prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pain management after open thoracotomy 2025: procedure-specific postoperative pain management (PROSPECT) recommendations.Anaesthesia · 2026Pooled it
- Dexmedetomidine versus ketamine as adjuvants in external oblique intercostal plane block for post thoracotomy pain: a randomised trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Does dexmedetomidine infusion reduce the postoperative analgesic need in lumbar disc surgery?Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- The Effect of Epidural Infusion of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Analgesia After Thoracotomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2023Article
- Effects of Different Doses of Dexmedetomidine Combined with Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block Anesthesia on Agitation and Hemodynamics in Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy during Recovery.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe anesthetic-sparing effect of dexmedetomidine has led to its use as a general adjuvant. The present study aimed to determine intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine to epidural analgesia after open thoracotomy.
methodsForty-four patients scheduled for admission to the intensive care unit after open thoracotomy were divided into 2 groups. An epidural catheter was placed at T4 to T7. Thirty minutes before the end of thoracotomy, group D was injected with 0.3 μg/kg/h of dexmedetomidine and group C received an equal dose of normal saline. For patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), 150 mL of levobupivacaine 300 mg was infused at a rate of 1 mL/h, plus a bolus dose of 3 mL with a lockout time of 30 minutes. The primary outcome evaluated was analgesic efficacy using a visual analog scale (VAS) 48 hours postoperatively. Other outcomes included additional analgesic use, total consumed local analgesia via PCEA, sedation score, blood pressure, heart rate, arterial blood gases, patient satisfaction, and adverse effects.
resultsThe VAS scores in group D were significantly lower than that in group C immediately, 1, 4, 12, 36, and 48 hours after admission to the intensive care unit (P = .016, .009, .015, .002, .001, and .042, respectively). The total dose of additional analgesic was also significantly lower in group D (P = .011). Patient satisfaction was higher in group D (P < .05). There were no significant differences in the other outcomes between groups.
conclusionIntravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine amplifies thoracic epidural analgesic effect after open thoracotomy.
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