Abstract:Objective To evaluate the effects of different doses of dexmedetomidine combined with propofol during bronchoscopic examinations in elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods From April 2021 to April 2023, 150 elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis treated at Nanjing Second Hospital were selected and randomly divided into three groups (A, B, C), each with 50 patients. During bronchoscopic examinations, Group A received dexmedetomidine at 0.5 μg/(kg·h) combined with propofol for maintenance anesthesia, Group B received 1.0 μg/(kg·h), and Group C received propofol alone. We compared bronchoscopy duration, time to loss of consciousness, recovery time, propofol dosage, anesthesia quality, heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) at various time points (T0, T1, T2, T3), changes in interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-18 (IL-18), norepinephrine (NE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) before and after examination, and incidence of adverse reactions.Results The time to loss of consciousness and recovery time were shorter in Groups A and B compared to Group C (P <0.05), with Group A having shorter recovery time than Group B (P <0.05). Propofol usage was less in Groups A and B compared to Group C (P <0.05). There was no statistical significance among above indicies between Group A and Group B (P >0.05). The quality of anesthesia was superior in Groups A and B (P <0.05). Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant differences in HR and MAP across different time points (F =4.775 and 6.121, both P =0.000) and among the groups (F =9.349 and 8.942, both P =0.000), there were significant differences in HR and MAP trends among the three groups (F =5.633 and 6.174, both P =0.000). The changes in IL-1β, IL-18, NE, SOD, GSH-Px were lower in Groups A and B compared to Group C (P <0.05), with Group B being lower than Group A (P <0.05). The overall incidence of adverse reactions was lower in Groups A and B compared to Group C (P <0.05), with Group A having fewer adverse reactions than Group B (P < 0.05).Conclusion Different doses of dexmedetomidine have an effective anesthetic impact in bronchoscopic examinations of elderly patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, reducing the need for propofol. Compared to 1.0 μg/(kg·h), 0.5 μg/(kg·h) of dexmedetomidine combined with propofol results in faster recovery, more stable vital signs, and fewer adverse reactions.