Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Investigating preoperative anxiety and its determinants among patients with gastrointestinal tumors, and assessing the efficacy of dexmedetomidine in improving vital signs among patients with moderate to severe anxiety. METHODS: A total of 100 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor resection were included in the study. Preoperative data were collected, and anxiety levels were assessed. Patients with moderate to severe anxiety were randomly assigned to one of three groups: regular-dose dexmedetomidine (Group D1), low-dose dexmedetomidine (Group D2), and control (Group C). The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate of patients in all three groups were compared at four different time points: upon entering the operating room (T0), during arterial puncture needle insertion (T1), during anesthesia induction (T2), and upon successful insertion of the endotracheal tube (T3). RESULTS: The average GAD-7 score among patients was 11.01 ± 3.710, and it correlated with age, level of education, and occupation (P < 0.05). Patients with moderate to severe anxiety upon entering the operating room exhibited higher systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate compared to those with mild anxiety (P < 0.05). Compared to Group C, both Groups D1 and D2 showed similar systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate at the T0 time point (P > 0.05). However, their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate at time points T1, T2, and T3 were lower than those of Group C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Preoperative anxiety levels of patients with gastrointestinal tumors are associated with age, educational background, and occupation. Patients experiencing moderate to severe anxiety tend to exhibit elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate upon entering the operating room. Administering a low dose of dexmedetomidine has been observed to improve the vital signs of such patients with anxiety during arterial puncture and catheterization, anesthesia induction, and tracheal intubation.