Abstract:Objective To evaluate the effect of oxycodone combined with dexmedetomidine on postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) in elderly patients over 75 years of age with colon cancer. Methods Totally 90 elderly patients underwent total anesthesia for elective laparoscopic colon cancer surgery were divided into 3groups (n = 30 each) by using a random number table. 15 min before the end of the operation, tropisetron 4 mg and oxycodone 0.1 mg/kg were injected intravenously, and the PCIA pump was connected simultaneously. Drug preparation: In A, B and C groups, the PCIA solution contained oxycodone 0.6, 0.4, and 0.2 mg/kg+ dexmedetomidine 2 μg/kg+ tropisetron 4 mg in 100 ml of 0.9% normal saline,respectively. The PCIA pump was set up to deliver a 0.5 ml bolus dose with a 15-min lockout interval and background infusion at 2 ml/h, and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was maintained at ≤ 4 points. The number of PCIA effective compressions and analgesic remediation within 48 hours after surgery were recorded, and the analgesic remediation rate was calculated. Postoperative nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, respiratory depression, itchy skin, bradycardia, hypotension, and excessive sedation were recorded. The analgesic satisfaction was recorded 72 h after surgery. Results No adverse reactions, such as vomiting, respiratory depression, pruritus, excessive sedation, bradycardia, or hypotension, occurred in the 3 groups after surgery. There was no significant difference in the incidence of dizziness among the three groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of nausea and sleepiness in group A was higher than that in group B and C (P < 0.05). PCIA pump effective compressions and analgesia recovery rate in group C were higher than those in group A and group B (P < 0.05). Analgesia satisfaction of group C was lower than that of group A and group B (P < 0.05). Conclusions Oxycodone 0.4mg/kg combined with dexmedetomidine 2μg/kg is more suitable for postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia in elderly patients over 75 years of age with colon cancer.