Comparison of Intravenous Dexmedetomidine versus Esmolol for Attenuation of Hemodynamic Response to Tracheal Intubation after Rapid Sequence Induction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The present study aims to investigate whether intravenous dexmedetomidine shows superiority to esmolol for hemodynamic response to tracheal intubation after rapid sequence induction. In the present meta-analysis, PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for trials comparing dexmedetomidine with esmolol for the attenuation of the hemodynamic response to intubation. Ten trials were selected in the present meta-analysis. Compared to esmolol, the use of dexmedetomidine maintains stable heart rates (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) at 1 min, 3 min, and 5 min after tracheal intubation. Dexmedetomidine causes less hemodynamic response to tracheal intubation after rapid sequence induction compared with esmolol.