Epileptic seizures induced by dexmedetomidine in a neonate.

Background: Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, a highly selective 2-adrenoceptoragonist, is used in combination with local anesthetics for sedation and analgesia. It is known to be efficacious in adult patients and is enthusiastically expected to be successful for sedation in neonates.
Patient: The present case report details a term infant who was sedated by dexmedetomidine during artificial ventilation. He underwent electroencephalograms that confirmed epileptic seizures and non-epileptic abnormal movements. Twelve hours after the discontinuation of dexmedetomidine, both symptoms gradually disappeared without the use of any antiepileptic medication. After then, he had achieved normal development, with no obvious neurological abnormalities.
Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine acts throughout the central nervous system and leads to a reduction in the anticonvulsant activity of the locus coeruleus. This case suggests potential adverse effects of dexmedetomidine in terms of inducing both epileptic seizures and non-epileptic movements in neonates.
(Copyright © 2012 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)