Emergence delirium and intranasal dexmedetomidine: The importance of method, dosing, and timing of administration

The recent retrospective study of intranasal dexmedetomidine to prevent emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing ear tube surgery failed to show any efficacy in preventing this troublesome complication [1]. The reasons for this are likely several, and although Santana and Mills outlined some of them in their report, the subgroup analysis on the timing of drug administration did suggest that had the dose been given earlier – i.e., even before the induction of anesthesia as a preoperative sedative (which has been successfully used before [2,3]) – then perhaps the drug may have been more efficacious.
Source: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research