Effects of Tourniquet Inflation on Blood Pressure, Mean Arterial Pressure, and Pulse Rate during the Maintenance of Anesthesia Using a Combination of Dexmedetomidine and Isoflurane for Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Surgery

Introduction: The utilization of pneumatic tourniquets in surgery can help surgeons optimize the surgical field and reduce the amount of bleeding. It can also cause hyperdynamic cardiovascular responses, such as increased blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse rate, which the administration of analgesia, anti-hypertension, and increased depth of anesthesia cannot correct. Excessive hemodynamic responses can lead to complications due to the utilization of tourniquets, namely increased intracranial pressure and acute heart failure. This study aims to analyze differences in the effects of tourniquet inflation on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse rate during the maintenance of anesthesia using a combination of dexmedetomidine and isoflurane compared to that using only isoflurane for patients undergoing lower extremity surgery. Methods: This observational cohort study. The statistical test in this study was conducted using the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality and the Spearman test for correlation. The Chi-Square test was carried out to ensure the characteristics of patients in the two groups. Results: The results showed no significant effects of tourniquet inflation on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse rate during the maintenance of anesthesia using a combination of dexmedetomidine and isoflurane. Meanwhile, tourniquet inflation during the maintenance of anesthesia using only isoflurane resulted in significant effects on blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse rate. The results also indicated significant differences between the effects of tourniquet inflation during the maintenance of anesthesia using a combination of dexmedetomidine and isoflurane and that using only isoflurane on the blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse rate of patients undergoing lower extremity surgery. Conclusion: There are no significant effects of tourniquet inflation during the maintenance of anesthesia using a combination of dexmedetomidine and isoflurane on the blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse rate of patients undergoing lower extremity surgery.