Abstract:Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the incidence of postoperative delirium(POD) and cerebral oxygen metabolism in elderly patients undergoing pulmonary surgery.Methods The 120 elderly patients who underwent pulmonary surgery in Fuyang Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University from September 2017 to March 2022 were selected and grouped into the study group and the control group, with 60 patients in each group. In the study group, 0.5 g/kg dexmedetomidine of was given before anesthesia induction, and an equal volume of normal saline was given in the control group. The dosage of anesthetics, the quality of recovery, and incidences of POD and anesthesia-related adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. The hemodynamic indicators [mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) ] and cerebral oxygen metabolism indicators [left and right regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) were observed at 5 min after entering the operation room (T0), skin incision (T1), the end of surgery (T2), and 12 h after the surgery (T3).Results There was no difference in the dosage of sufentanil between the two groups (P >0.05). The dosages of propofol and remifentanil in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the time to extubation, the time to recovery of spontaneous breathing, the time to eye opening and the time to recovery of orientation were shorter in the study group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There were differences in MAP and HR (F =43.624 and 39.652, both P < 0.05) but not SaO2 (F =2.653, P >0.05) at different time points. The MAP and HR (F =85.694 and 93.624, both P < 0.05) but not SaO2 (F =4.623, P >0.05) were different between the two groups. Besides, the change trends of MAP and HR (F =113.622 and 82.154, both P <0.05) but not SaO2 (F =3.654, P > 0.05) were different between the two groups. There were differences in the left and right rScO2 at different time points (F =54.626 and 53.958, both P < 0.05) and between the two groups (F =69.874 and 101.698, both P < 0.05). The change trends of the left and right rScO2 were also different between the two groups (F =103.652 and 124.698, both P <0.05). The incidence of POD in the study group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the incidence of anesthesia-related adverse reactions was not different between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions Dexmedetomidine can reduce the dosage of anesthetics, improve the quality of recovery, enhance the cerebral oxygen metabolism, stabilize hemodynamics, and decrease the incidence of POD in elderly patients undergoing pulmonary surgery.