Introduction: Trauma patients undergoing femoral intramedullary nailing surgery often experience significant blood loss, leading to the need for effective management strategies. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, has shown promise in reducing intraoperative blood loss and stabilizing hemodynamics, making it a potential adjunct in trauma surgeries.

Methods: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 60 trauma patients undergoing femoral intramedullary nailing were randomly assigned to either the dexmedetomidine (n = 30) or control (n = 30) group. The dexmedetomidine group received an infusion of 0.6 µg/kg for 10 minutes before induction, followed by a maintenance dose. Intraoperative blood loss, transfusion requirements, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests and chi-square tests, with p-values < 0.05 considered significant.

Results: The dexmedetomidine group exhibited significantly lower intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.001) and more stable hemodynamic parameters, including heart rate and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). The need for blood transfusions was lower in the dexmedetomidine group, although not statistically significant (p = 0.073). Recovery time was also significantly shorter in the dexmedetomidine group (p = 0.002).

Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss and stabilized hemodynamic parameters in trauma patients undergoing femoral intramedullary nailing surgery. Its potential benefits for trauma surgery include reduced transfusion needs and faster recovery times.