The effect of Dexmedetomidine on sedation of patients undergoing open-heart surgery in a military hospital

Background: Dexmedetomidine facilitates patient communication with the ICU nurses, and is a valuable drug for use in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation due to a reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation and prevalence of delirium. Objectives: In this study, investigators aimed to compare the effect of Dexmedetomidine with placebo on sedation in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Methods: In this double-blind dinical trial, 69 patients with open-heart surgery who underwent a cardiopulmonary bypass pump, were randomly assigned into two groups of Dexmedetomidine (group D) and placebo (group P). At the end of the operation, patients in groups Dand P respectively received 1 mu / kg infusion of Dexmedetomidine and normal saline in 10 minutes. In case of a lack of proper sedation, midazolam with the doses of 1 mg titration was used up to reaching the goal of sedation. Also, for pain relief, morphine titrated at a dose of 1 mg was Injected, and dosage was recorded in both groups. In each shift, patients were examined for delusions by the nurse involved in their care, using the "Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU)". For patients with delirium, 1 to 5 mg of Haloperidol was used. Also, the length of stay in the ICU was recorded. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate at different stages of treatment (p<0.05). comparison of the two groups in terms of the length of stay in ICU, duration of mechanical ventilation, staff satisfaction, and occurrence of Delirium after surgery indicated that there were significant differences between the two groups (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between the two groups in the dose of morphine and midazolam (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that sedation with Dexmedetomidine significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative delirium, the length of stay in ICU, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the satisfaction rate of ICU staff, and the dose of analgesic and sedative medication. As there were no reported hemodynamic complications as well, it seems that it can be indicated as a safe and appropriate drug for sedation of patients in the ICU.