Dexmedetomidine (Precedex), the dextro optical isomer of medetomidine, is a pharmacologically selective α2-agonist with sedative, anxiolytic, and analgesic properties. Dexmedetomidine is in the same class as clonidine but differs from clonidine in its eightfold greater affinity for α2- compared with α1-receptors than with clonidine. Dexmedetomidine is currently being administered for procedural sedation and as an anesthetic adjunct. We [...]