Abstract / Summary
Diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy often causes anxiety, gagging, coughing and procedural discomfort, which can reduce tolerance and impair procedural conditions. Nebulised dexmedetomidine has drawn interest as a non invasive premedication because it provides anxiolysis and sedation with minimal respiratory depression. The present narrative review examined the available evidence on its role in improving procedural tolerance and related outcomes during diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. A literature search was performed across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Studies involving adult and paediatric patients who received nebulised dexmedetomidine before endoscopy were reviewed, with emphasis on patient comfort, procedural ease, gag and cough suppression, sedative sparing effects and safety. The present narrative review provides a focused summary of the emerging evidence on nebulised dexmedetomidine during diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, with emphasis on procedural tolerance, airway reflex suppression and safety in adult and paediatric populations. Larger multicentre studies with standardised outcome measures are needed to define its role more clearly.