Effect of anesthesia with different doses of dexmedetomidine on serum factors and score of Mini-Mental State Examination in elderly patients with radical resection of esophageal cancer

  Objective  To investigate the effect of anesthesia with different doses of dexmedetomidine on serum factors and score of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in elderly patients with radical resection of esophageal cancer.

  Methods  Totally 60 elderly patients with radical resection of esophageal cancer were divided into low-dose group (0.50 μg/kg dexmedetomidine) and high-dose group (1.00 μg/kg dexmedetomidine), with cases in each group. Another 30 patients with normal saline were selected as control group. The levels of serum related factors at the time points of anesthesia induction (T₁), the end of operation (T₂), the first day after operation (T₃) and the seventh day after operation (T₄) as well as the changes of cognitive function at 24 hours before operation and 1, 3 and 7 days after operation were compared among the three groups.

  Results  There were no significant differences in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content at T₁ among the three groups (P>0.05). The SOD activity at T₂ and T₃ in three groups was significantly lower than that at T₁ in three groups (P < 0.05). SOD activity and MDA content in high-dose group were significantly better than those in other two groups (P < 0.05). The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) at T₂, T₃ and T₄ were significantly higher than those at T₁ n three groups (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-6 and NSE at T₂ and T₃ in high-dose group were significantly lower than those in other two groups (P < 0.05). On the first day after operation, the MMSE scores of the three groups were significantly lower than those before operation, and score of high-dose group was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (P < 0.05). On the third day after operation, MMSE score of high-dose group was significantly higher than that of low-dose group and control group (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  For elderly patients with radical resection of esophageal cancer, 1.00 μg/kg dexmedetomidine can effectively increase the SOD activity and MDA content, reduce the level of inflammatory factors, and improve the cognitive function.