Dexmedetomidine in awake craniotomy: a technical note.
BACKGROUND
Resection of lesions in eloquent areas of the brain are sometimes best done with the patient awake. An awake patient provides neurological feedback as the lesion is resected. This increases the chances of a complete resection without leaving a patient neurologically devastated. Unfortunately, this procedure is not always well tolerated by the patient.


METHODS
We performed a case series of awake craniotomies using a dexmedetomidine infusion.


RESULTS
All 17 patients included in our study tolerated the procedure well with no major complications.


CONCLUSIONS
The addition of dexmedetomidine to our technique improves safety and comfort for patients undergoing awake craniotomy.
Ard
John L
JL
Department of Anesthesiology, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016, USA. jardjr@hotmail.com
Bekker
Alex Y
AY
Doyle
Werner K
WK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods*; D020927:Dexmedetomidine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D020927:Dexmedetomidine