Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of postoperative dexmedetomidine infusion on the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Methods A total of 128 participants were randomized into dexmedetomidine and control groups. In the dexmedetomidine group, patients received a loading dose of 0.5 μg/kg dexmedetomidine over 15 min before skin incision followed by continuous infusion of 0.05 μg/kg/h starting at the end of surgery and maintained for 48 h. The control group received the same loading dose of dexmedetomidine without the postoperative infusion. Results No statistically significant differences were observed between the dexmedetomidine and control groups in time to first flatus, time to first defecation, or time to first oral feeding. The incidences of postoperative gastrointestinal function and delirium were comparable between the two groups. However, patients in the dexmedetomidine group experienced better sleep quality and had lower C-reactive protein levels than those in the control group. Conclusions Although postoperative continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine was associated with improved sleep quality in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery, it did not accelerate the recovery of gastrointestinal function.
Wang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.