Efficacy of Dexamethasone in Attenuation of Postinduction Hypotension in Geriatric Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

ostinduction hypotension is a common problem that faces anesthesiologists on a daily basis, with incidence ranging from 25% to 67.5% when propofol is used as an induction agent. Post-induction Hypotension is even more common in the elder population because increase in age is an independent predictor of intraoperative hypotension as a result of the diminished cardiovascular reserves. It was found that even brief durations of systolic arterial pressure < 100 mmHg and mean arterial pressure < 60– 70 mmHg can cause myocardial injury, stroke and acute kidney injury.The drop in blood pressure is usually treated with ephedrine and fluid boluses, but they put an increased load on the aged heart of the elderly. This study assessed the efficacy of dexamethasone to alleviate the drop in blood pressure after induction of anesthesia. All patients were informed of their participation in the study and written consents were taken. They were assessed preoperatively by careful history taking, full physical