Study objective

To assess the impact of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on long-term outcomes of older patients following major noncardiac surgery mainly for cancer.

Design

A long-term follow-up of patients enrolled in a randomized trial.

The initial trial was performed in a tertiary care hospital in Beijing, China.

Patients aged 60 years or older who were scheduled for major noncardiac surgery.

Intervention

Participants were randomized to receive either dexmedetomidine (a loading dose of 0.6 μg/kg over 10 min, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.5 μg/kg/h until 1 h before end of surgery) or placebo during anesthesia.