Resumen

BAGATINI, Airton; GOMES, Cláudio Roberto; MASELLA, Marcelo Zanettini  y  REZER, Gabrielle. Dexmedetomidine: pharmacology and clinical application. Rev. Bras. Anestesiol. [online]. 2002, vol.52, n.5, pp. 606-617. ISSN 0034-7094.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-70942002000500012.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dexmedetomidine is the newest a₂-adrenergic agonist for clinical application. It has a fast onset, is metabolized by the liver and mostly excreted by the urine. This review aimed at presenting pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of dexmedetomidine and its clinical applications. CONTENTS: Dexmedetomidine pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles are presented and compared to other a₂-adrenergic agonist drugs, the prototype of which is clonidine. Cardiac, vascular, neurological and gynecologic procedure outcomes are commented. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine is an innovative drug for sedation and analgesia. Its major qualities are fast onset and titration, allowing for changes in sedation and analgesia depth. In addition, it has a synergism with commonly used anesthetic drugs, with a low incidence of side effects and minor respiratory depression.

Palabras llave : DRUGS [clonidine]; DRUGS [dexmedetomidine].