Propofol is a useful induction agent for LMA insertion without muscle relaxants because it profoundly inhibits pharyngeal and laryngeal reactivity. A previous report showed that the effect-site concentration of propofol for successful classic LMA insertion in 50% of adults (EC50) without muscle relaxants in healthy male patients was 8.72 (0.55) µg ml-1. The EC50 of propofol may be dependent on the type of LMA used. A previous study comparing the EC50 of the propofol concentration between classic and proseal LMA insertions demonstrated that the EC50 of propofol needed for proseal LMA insertion was 35% greater than that needed for classic LMA insertion. Unfortunately, no investigation has been performed to determine the EC50 of the propofol concentration required for i-gel insertion without muscle relaxants.~Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a selective alpha-2 agonist, has sympatholytic, sedative, and analgesic properties. Such beneficial characteristics make DEX a useful anaesthetic adjuvant for general anaesthesia. Many reports have revealed the beneficial effects of DEX in terms of reducing intraoperative anaesthetic requirements, postoperative analgesic demand, and increased haemodynamic responses to noxious stimuli such as endotracheal intubation. A previous investigation showed that preoperative clonidine, an alpha-2 agonist, decreased the EC50 required for LMA insertion.~We hypothesised that preoperative DEX administration can reduce the propofol concentration required for i-gel insertion. In this study, we compared the EC50 of propofol needed for successful i-gel insertion without muscle relaxants between DEX and placebo groups
Dexmedetomidine is a useful anaesthetic adjuvant for general anaesthesia. In this prospective randomised study, we determined whether preoperative dexmedetomidine administration could reduce the half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of propofol for successful i-gelTM insertion without muscle relaxants.