Abstract:Objective To investigate the sedative effect of dexmedetomidine with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and its impact on stress response in elderly patients with prostatic hyperplasia undergoing plasmakinetic resection of prostate.Methods A total of 102 elderly patients with prostatic hyperplasia who underwent plasmakinetic resection of prostate in our hospital from January 2022 to April 2023 were prospectively selected and divided into the control group and the study group by the random number table method, with 51 cases in each group. The control group was given midazolam with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, and the study group was given dexmedetomidine with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. The recovery time, perioperative hemodynamics, intraoperative shivering, pain, cognitive function, inflammatory response, stress response and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results The recovery time of the study group was shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The mean arterial pressure and the heart rate in the two groups before anesthesia induction, at skin incision, and after surgery were compared, which showed that they were different among the time points (F = 8.523 and 7.961, both P =0.000) and between the groups (F = 8.036 and 8.185, both P = 0.000), and that the change trends of them were significantly different between the two groups (F = 8.654 and 8.235, both P = 0.000). The incidence of shivering in study group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The comparison of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores in the two groups 4 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after surgery demonstrated that they were different among the time points (F = 8.935, P = 0.000) and between the groups (F = 7.419, P = 0.000), and that the change trends of them were different between the groups (F = 7.128, P = 0.000). The comparison of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in the two groups before and 24 h and 48 h after surgery via repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that they were different among the time points (F = 7.986, P = 0.000) but not between the two groups (F = 0.171, P = 0.841), and that the change trends of them were not different between the two groups (F = 0.315, P = 0.702). The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the two groups at anesthesia and 24 h and 48 h after surgery were compared, and the results exhibited that they were different among the time points (F = 8.517 and 8.613, both P = 0.000) and between the two groups (F = 7.987 and 7.543, both P = 0.000), and that the change trends of them were also different between the two groups (F = 7.968 and 7.741, both P = 0.000). The comparison of the levels of adrenaline (Adr) and cortisol (Cor) in the two groups before and 24 h and 48 h after surgery indicated that they were different among the time points (F = 8.001 and 8.547, both P = 0.000) and between the two groups (F = 7.958 and 7.874, both P = 0.000), and that the change trends of them were different between the two groups (F = 8.147 and 7.959, both P = 0.000). There was no difference in the overall incidence of adverse reactions in two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia has a significant sedative effect in elderly patients with prostatic hyperplasia undergoing plasmakinetic resection of prostate. It ameliorates perioperative pain, mitigates inflammatory response and stress response, and facilitates the perioperative hemodynamic stability in a safe and reliable manner.