Inhalational Agents Versus Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of General Anesthesia

Study Design and Setting This prospective, randomized clinical study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, University of Health Sciences, Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital. Patient randomization was performed using a computer-based randomization tool (@randomizer). Patient Selection A total of 150 patients over the age of 39 who provided informed consent and were scheduled for elective urological procedures at the Urology Department were enrolled in the study. The included surgeries were uretero-renoscopic lithotripsy (URS), transurethral resection of the bladder (TUR-B), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), and transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P). Anesthesia Protocol Upon arrival to the operating room, standard monitoring was applied to all patients. Anesthesia induction and maintenance were carried out according to randomization: Group DR: Dexmedetomidine + Remifentanil Group IR: Desflurane + Remifentanil Intraoperative and Postoperative Data Collection During surgery, anesthesia depth and hemodynamic parameters were continuously monitored and recorded. At the end of the procedure, the following postoperative data were collected: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) Modified Aldrete Score The hospital unit/ward to which the patient was transferred