Solanki SL, Sharma J. Dexmedetomidine in colon cancer surgery: Evaluating its impact and efficacy. World J Gastrointest Surg 2024; 16(12): 3663-3665 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i12.3663]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Sohan Lal Solanki, MD, Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, E Borges Marg, Mumbai, MH 400012, India. me_sohans@yahoo.co.in
Research Domain of This Article
Anesthesiology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. Dec 27, 2024; 16(12): 3663-3665 Published online Dec 27, 2024. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i12.3663
Dexmedetomidine in colon cancer surgery: Evaluating its impact and efficacy
Sohan Lal Solanki, Jyoti Sharma
Sohan Lal Solanki, Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, MH 400012, India
Jyoti Sharma, Department of Anaesthesiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda 151001, India
Author contributions: Solanki SL was responsible for designing the overall concept and writing the manuscript; Sharma J was responsible for contributing to editing the manuscript and reviewing literature; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflict of interest including any financial or non-financial relationships.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sohan Lal Solanki, MD, Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, E Borges Marg, Mumbai, MH 400012, India. me_sohans@yahoo.co.in
Received: July 28, 2024 Revised: August 29, 2024 Accepted: September 6, 2024 Published online: December 27, 2024 Processing time: 121 Days and 15.8 Hours
Abstract
We present an editorial on an article that highlights the benefits of dexmedetomidine (Dex) in colon cancer surgeries, which have been thoroughly investigated in the referenced publication involving 117 subjects. Of these patients, 59 (group A) received Dex before anesthesia induction, while 58 (group B) received normal saline. Group A patients demonstrated several advantages over Group B, including lower propofol and remifentanil requirements, improved cerebral oxygenation as measured by regional cerebral oxygen saturation, better hemodynamic stability, and reduced incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. In addition to its sedative and analgesic effects, Dex decreases the need for other anesthetic agents and enhances cerebral oxygenation in elderly patients undergoing colorectal surgery. The literature also supports the anti-inflammatory properties of Dex, which can reduce surgical stress and improve postoperative recovery in cancer patients. This editorial focuses on the various benefits of Dex, particularly its role in maintaining hemodynamic stability and facilitating early recovery in cancer patients.
Core Tip: Dexmedetomidine reduces the need for other anesthetic drugs and improves cerebral oxygenation during colon cancer surgery in elderly patients, potentially minimizing intraoperative brain injury, as indicated by lower postoperative serum levels of S100β and neuron-specific enolase. It shows promise in mitigating postoperative cognitive dysfunction and enhancing overall recovery outcomes by reducing neuroinflammation and stabilizing hemodynamics. However, the study's small sample size, single-center design, and short follow-up period limit the generalizability of these findings, highlighting the need for further research with larger, multicenter trials.
