ABSTRACT : Fibreoptic intubation can be performed either as an initial management of a patient known to have difficult airway or as a back-up technique after direct laryngoscopy has been unsuccessful. Studies have shown that conscious sedation is desirable to make this procedure more tolerable. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of dexmedetomidine and propofol for providing optimal conditions for fibreopticnasotracheal intubation while used as sedatives

METHODS : Method-68 patients of age group 25 to 75 years of ASA 1and 2 undergoing elective oral and neck surgery,patients with restricted mouth opening <2 fingers, and or restricted head and neck mobility were randomly allocated into two groups-GroupA(dexmedetomidine group) and GroupB(propofol group).Optimal intubation conditions were analyzed in terms of Endoscopy score, Intubation score, Post- intubation score, Endoscopy time, Intubation time, No. of intubation attempts,Hemodynamicparameters,Observers Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale, Post op interview and satisfaction. Statistical analysis was carried using paired t-test for numerical data,Mann-Whitney test for ordinal data and Fischers exact test for non-continuous data.

RESULTS : There was significant difference (p<0.05)between GroupA and GroupB in terms of endoscopy and intubation conditions where group A had a favourableoutcome.In group B, sedation, respiratory depression and amnesia were significantly(p<0.05) higher than group A.

CONCLUSIONS : We concluded that for awake fibreopticnasotracheal intubation dexmedetomidine is a useful drug for providing optimal endoscopy and intubation conditions with less sedation and respiratory depression.