title: Dexmedetomidine in awake craniotomy: a technical note.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016, USA. jardjr@hotmail.com
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ard
authors.forename: Alex Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Bekker
authors.forename: Werner K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Doyle
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D020927:Dexmedetomidine