Objective      To investigate the feasibility that dexmedetomidine attenuates the airway and circulatory reflexes during postoperative stage of analepsia in children undergoing plastic surgery.       Methods      Sixty children with cicatricial contracture deformities were treated by scar resection and skin grafting under general anesthesia in our hospital between April 2011 and March 2012 were enrolled in this study. They were 21 females and 39 males

aged 5 to

7 years old. In 40 min before the end of surgery

they were randomly assigned to receive either dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg

group D

n=30) or placebo (normal saline of same volume

group P

n=30) intravenously over 10 min. The time of autonomous respiration recovery and tracheal extubation

and the number of coughs after extubation

as well as shivering reaction and Ramsay scores were compared between 2 groups. Heart rate (HR)

blood pressure (BP) and peripheral oxygen saturation were recorded before

during and after tracheal extubation.        Results      Median coughing scores were 1 (ranging from 1 to 3) in group D

and 2 (ranging from 1 to 4) in group P respectively (

P

0.05). Shivering was found in 2 cases in group D and in 17 cases in group P respectively（

P

0.05）. Ramsay scores were 2 to 4 in group D and 1 to 2 in group P. HR and BP increased at extubation in both groups

but the increase was less significantly in group D（

P

0.05）. The time from tracheal extubation and emergence from anesthesia were similar in both groups. Peripheral oxygen saturation was reduced after extubation in both groups.        Conclusion      A single-dose bolus injection of dexmedetomidine before the end of children plastic surgery attenuates airway and circulatory reflexes during extubation and postoperative shivering

and mediates sedative properties.