Study of dexmedetomidine for sedation of the patients after coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of dexmedetomidine for the sedation of the patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).Methods The selective 96 CABG patients,ASA Ⅱor Ⅲ,aged 36 to 68 years old,58 males and 38 females,were randomly divided into 2 groups (n =48):dexmedetomidine group (group A) and midazolam group (group B).Group A patients received Dexmedetomidine (1.0 μg/kg)over 10 min,followed by 0.2-0.7 μg · kg-1 · h-1 to maintain sedation,whereas the other group patients received midazolam (0.05 mg/kg) over 10 min,followed by 0.02-0.10 mg · kg-1 · h-1 to maintain sedation.Two groups of patients stopped using drug when they were fit off-line and extubation.Observe the percentage of time within target sedative scope (Riker range 3-4),the changes of vital signs before and after treatment,the prevalence of delirium,the awakening time,the duration of mechanical ventilation,ICU length of stay,the adverse events of blood pressure and heart rate.Results There were no significant difference in the percentage of time within target sedative scope between two groups (75.5％ for dexmedetomidine group vs 74.6％ for midazolam group,P ＞ 0.05).Compared to midazolam group,the Dexmedetomidine group has a shorter awakening time [(14.0 ± 6.2) min for dexmedetomidine group vs (50.4 ± 12.8) min for midazolam group,P ＜ 0.05] and duration of mechanical ventilation,and also the prevalence of delirium was lower(15.3％ for dexmedetomidine group vs 34.6％ for midazolam group,P ＜0.05).ICU length of stay was similar.Dexmedetomidine-treated patients were more likely to develop bradcardia,with a non significant increase in the proportion requiring treatment,but had a lower likelihood of tachycardia or hypertension requiring treatment.Conclusion Dexmedetomidine is safe and effective in patients after CABG surgery. Key words: Dexmedetomidine ;  Postoperative sedation ;  Analgesia ;  Coronary artery bypass, off-pump