Dexmedetomidine as a Sole Premedication for BMT Placement

There is very little evidence or research documenting any single method of sedation/analgesia for myringotomy tube (BMT) placement as being more effective than others. This was a retrospective chart review conducted to determine if there were significant differences in efficacy of administered pre-operative Midazolam and Intraoperative IM Ketorolac (traditional) vs. pre-operative Dexmedetomidine alone for pain and emergence delirium management of children undergoing placement of BMTs. The current protocol was changed under the direction of anesthesia and team members who wanted to see what the outcomes of the new management plan were. The plan was a prospective chart review and for this project, 276 patient charts were reviewed, 154 patients received traditional anesthesia treatment and 122 received Precedex. Data analysis indicated that the patients who had received Dexmedetomidine had significantly higher FLACC scores (meaning better pain control) than those who received the traditional therapy. There was no difference in emergence delirium between the two groups.