Evidence mapPaperPMID 42465992Full record

Trial reportFrontiers in pharmacology2026

Dexmedetomidine-flurbiprofen axetil-based opioid-free analgesia attenuates postoperative melatonin suppression and improves sleep quality after thyroidectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Rui Guo, Xin Luo, Li Chen, Pan-Guo Rao, Li-Feng Wang, Xing-Heng Lei, Guang-Yu Dai, Hao Fang

Abstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Rui Guo *Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Xin Luo *The First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.
Li ChenDepartment of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Pan-Guo RaoThe First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.
Li-Feng WangDepartment of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Xing-Heng LeiThe First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.
Guang-Yu DaiThe First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.
Hao FangThe First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether an opioid-free patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) regimen based on dexmedetomidine and flurbiprofen axetil improves postoperative sleep quality and affects nocturnal melatonin secretion compared to a sufentanil-based regimen in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Methods: In this prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial, 96 patients undergoing thyroidectomy were randomly assigned to receive either opioid-free PCIA (dexmedetomidine, flurbiprofen axetil, and ondansetron) or opioid PCIA (sufentanil and ondansetron). PCIA was initiated 5 min before the end of surgery. The primary outcome was postoperative sleep quality, assessed using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Secondary outcomes included urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (6-SMT) excretion normalized to creatinine, detailed sleep parameters, anxiety levels, pain intensity, sedation levels, and postoperative adverse events. Assessments of sleep quality, urinary 6-SMT excretion, and anxiety levels were performed preoperatively (T0) and on postoperative days 1 (T1) and 2 (T2). Pain intensity (assessed by the Visual Analog Scale, VAS) and sedation levels (assessed using the Ramsay Sedation Scale) were measured at postoperative hours 1, 6, 24, and 48. Results: Patients in the opioid-free group exhibited significantly higher RCSQ scores at T1 and T2, indicating improved postoperative sleep quality (all Conclusion: An opioid-free PCIA regimen based on dexmedetomidine and flurbiprofen axetil provides non-inferior postoperative analgesia while attenuating postoperative melatonin suppression, improving sleep quality, reducing anxiety, and decreasing opioid-related adverse events. This opioid-sparing strategy may represent an effective approach to enhance postoperative recovery after thyroidectomy. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2400079949. First Trial Tegistration: 01/17/2024.

Indexed as

circadian rhythmdexmedetomidinemelatoninopioid-free analgesiasleep qualitythyroidectomy

Identifiers

PMID42465992
PMCPMC13373100

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.