NCT04204798

Dexmedetomidine and Outcomes of Elderly Admitted to ICU After Surgery

Impact of Low-dose Dexmedetomidine on Outcomes of Elderly Admitted to ICU After Noncardiac Surgery: a Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,410 (actual)
• Sponsor: Peking University First Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Sleep disorder and delirium are common problems in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and may lead to poor prognosis. The investigators' previous study showed that nighttime infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine improved the sleep quality and decreased the incidence of delirium in ICU patients after surgery. Long-term follow-up of these patients showed that low-dose dexmedetomidine also improved 2-year survival and the quality of life in 3-year survivors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of low-dose dexmedetomidine on the long-term outcome of elderly patients admitted to the ICU after noncardiac surgery.

Detailed description

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist with sedative, analgesic and anti-anxiety properties. Unlike other sedative agents, dexmedetomidine exerts its sedative effects through an endogenous sleep-promoting pathway, producing a state like non-rapid eye movement sleep. For mechanically ventilated patients, sedative-dose dexmedetomidine infusion at night maintains circadian rhythm, increases sleep efficiency, and improves sleep architecture. When used for sedation in mechanical ventilated patients, it reduces the incidence of delirium. Dexmedetomidine may improve patient outcomes by improving sleep quality. A previous randomized trial found that, for elderly patients who were admitted to ICU after noncardiac surgery, nighttime infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine significantly improves the sleep quality and decreases the incidence of postoperative delirium. A long-term follow-up of these patients showed that low-dose dexmedetomidine infusion significantly increased survival up to 2 years, and improved cognitive function and quality of life in 3-year survivors. In the study mentioned above, dexmedetomidine was only infused during the night after surgery with a fixed dose. The investigators hypothesize that, for elderly admitted to ICU after surgery, nighttime infusion of individualized low-dose dexmedetomidine may improve long-term outcomes. This randomized controlled trial is designed to investigate the effect of low-dose dexmedetomidine on 1-year survival and the quality of life of 1-year survivors in elderly patients admitted to the ICU after surgery.

Conditions

• Elderly
• Surgery
• Intensive Care Unit
• Dexmedetomidine
• Overall Survival

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Dexmedetomidine	1. Dexmedetomidine is infused from 4 pm to 8 am during ICU stay for no more than 3 days. 2. For non-intubated patients, the infusion rate is adjusted to reach a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) of -1, or a maximal rate of 0.2 microgram/kg/h, or the occurrence of any adverse events. 3. For intubated patients, the infusion rate is adjusted to reach a RASS of -1, or a maximal rate of 0.7 microgram/kg/h, or the occurrence of any adverse events.
DRUG	Placebo	1. Normal saline is infused in the same rate for the same duration as in the dexmedetomidine group. 2. Propofol sedation is administered when considered necessary.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-08-28
• Primary completion: 2025-06-04
• Completion: 2026-06-04
• First posted: 2019-12-19
• Last updated: 2025-07-31

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China