Dexmedetomidine for Sedation of Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients

Increasingly, clinicians are focusing on the downsides of sedating critically ill patients. For example, benzodiazepines are strongly associated with delirium, and sedated patients are less likely to be mobilized. Regular interruptions of sedation reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation. Small studies have suggested that use of dexmedetomidine (Precedex), a selective α₂-antagonist used for sedation, reduces the incidence of delirium and the duration of ventilation compared with other sedatives. In two parallel European, multicenter, randomized controlled trials, researchers compared dexmedetomidine with propofol (500 patients) or midazolam (501 patients), depending on institutional preference.

Patients who received dexmedetomidine were…