Effect of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on recovery of gastrointestinal function after caesarean section undergoing spinal and epidural anesthesia: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Gastrointestinal dysfunction after cesarean section negatively affects postoperative recovery. Dexmedetomidine has been shown to improve postoperative gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion surgery and laparoscopic gastrectomy, but its role in cesarean section has not been fully elucidated. The study aimed to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on gastrointestinal function after cesarean section.

STUDY DESIGN: 220 pregnant women who underwent elective cesarean section were randomized into group D and group S. Group D patients received a loading dose of 0.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine for 10 mins followed by a maintenance dose of 0.5 μg/kg/h intravenously immediately after the umbilical cord was cut intraoperatively, whereas the other group (group S) received an equivalent quantity of normal saline as loading and maintenance dose IV by infusion pump. The primary outcome was time to first flatus after surgery (hours). Secondary outcomes included time to first feces and first bowel sounds (hours), incidence rates of postoperative gastrointestinal complications, and the length of postoperative hospital stay (days).

RESULTS: Modified intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients in Group D had a significantly shorter time to first flatus (21 [16 to 28.25] vs. 25 [18 to 32.25] h; P = 0.014), time to first feces (45.5 [35.75 to 55.25] vs. 53 [40 to 60] h; P = 0.019), and time to first bowel sounds (P = 0.010), a lower incidence of abdominal distension (21[20.6 %] vs. 36[34.3 %], P = 0.027), shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (P = 0.010) compared to patients in Group S.

CONCLUSION: Intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion reduces the time to first flatus, the incidence of abdominal distension, and shortens the length of hospital stay, promoting gastrointestinal function after cesarean section.