Effects of Dexmedetomidine Infusion on the Recovery Profiles of Patients Undergoing Transurethral Resection

Transurethral resection has been the gold standard in the operative management of benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder tumor; however, it is associated with several complications that may cause patient discomfort. We evaluated the usefulness of continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine on emergence agitation, hemodynamic status, and recovery profiles in patients undergoing elective surgery by a randomized clinical trial. Sixty patients aged 30 to 80 yr who were scheduled for elective transurethral resection under general anesthesia were included in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups (control group, group C; dexmedetomidine group, group D). A total of 60 male patients were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to group C (n=30) or group D (n=30). The quality of emergence in group D was marked by a significantly lower incidence of emergence agitation than in group C (P=0.015). Patients in group D therefore felt less discomfort induced by the indwelling Foley catheter than those in group C (P=0.022). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to side effects including bradycardia (P=0.085), hypotension (P=0.640), and postoperative nausea and vomiting (P=0.389). Our study showed that intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion effectively reduced the incidence and intensity of emergence agitation and catheter-induced bladder discomfort without delaying recovery time and discharge time, thus providing smooth emergence during the recovery period in patients undergoing transurethral resection (Clinical Trial Registry No. KT0001683).

The Incidence and Medical Treatment of Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction in Korean Infants

Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction(CNLDO) is the most common abnormality of the lacrimal apparatus in infants. The estimates of incidence of CNLDO had been made by many authors with variable range and the reports on the natural course of this condition in Korean infants are very seldom. We examined the patency of 990 nasolacrimal ducts in 495 newborn infants by the F.D.D.(fluorescein dye disappearance) test and lacrimal irrigation. In the 51 patients(10.3%), there were 69 obstructed nasolacrimal ducts(6.97%). The patients with eye discharge had higher incidence of CNLDO than the patients without eye discharge. There were no significant predilection of sex, chronologie age, birth weight, age of mother or type of delivery. All affected patients were followed prospectively with hydrostatic massage and topical antibiotics. Of the 46 ducts(32 infants) followed with medical treatment until 12 months after birth, 23 ducts(50%) became patent within one month after birth, 37 ducts(80%) were improved by the 2 months after birth. 45 ducts(98%) showed good patency by the 1 year after birth. In conclusion the incidence of the CNLDO in Korean infants was relatively high(10.3%), and CNLDO in newborn could be cured by the medical treatment only.