[Validity of intraoperative administration of dexmedetomidine in a patient with dermatomyositis-derived respiratory failure].

A 66-year-old female with dermatomyositis and severe respiratory failure from collagen lungs, dependent on domiciliary oxygen therapy, was scheduled for a mastectomy. Anesthesia was induced with dexmedetomidine (DEX) 6 microg x kg(-1) x h(-1) for 10 minutes and maintained at 0.7 microg x kg(-1) x h(-1), along with a target controlled infusion of propofol combined with epidural anesthesia. No narcotic or muscle relaxant was used. The airway was secured using a laryngeal mask airway and spontaneous breathing was preserved. The perioperative course was uneventful without any pulmonary complications. DEX has a certain analgesic property and a mild respiratory depressant effect. Therefore, it is considered useful as a concomitant anesthetic agent for perioperative management of patients with respiratory failure.