UNLABELLED Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha(2)-agonist approved for sedation of critically ill patients. There is little information on the effects of dexmedetomidine on cerebral blood flow (CBF) or intracranial hemodynamics, despite considerable other pharmacodynamic data. We hypothesized that therapeutic doses of dexmedetomidine would decrease CBF. Therefore, nine supine volunteers, aged ...

BACKGROUND Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective central α2-agonist with anesthetic and analgesic properties for patients in intensive care units. There is little information about the relationship between dosage and plasma concentration during long drug infusions of dexmedetomidine in critically ill patients, especially in Asians. In addition, the administration of dexmedetomidine with a dosag...

Dexmedetomidine is a highly specific, potent and selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist. Although intrathecal and epidural administration of dexmedetomidine has been found to produce analgesia, whether this analgesia results from an effect on spinal cord substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of dexmedetomidine on postsynaptic transmission in SG n...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dexmedetomidine on systemic and cardiac autonomic reflex responses during rest and during thermal stress. METHODS Volunteers received either placebo or low- or high-dose dexmedetomidine (target plasma concentrations 0.3 or 0.6 ng/ml, respectively) infusions in a prospectively randomized, double-blinded crossover study design...

BACKGROUND The α2-adrenergic agonist dexmedetomidine is a sedative and can be used as an adjunct to anesthetics. Our primary goal was thus to determine the extent to which dexmedetomidine reduces the requirement for propofol and remifentanil. METHODS This double-blinded, randomized study (NCT00921284) used an automated dual closed-loop administration to maintain the Bispectral Index between 4...

The selective α2-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine has shown neuroprotective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and sympatholytic properties that may be beneficial in neonatal encephalopathy (NE). As therapeutic hypothermia is only partially effective, adjunct therapies are needed to optimize outcomes. The aim was to assess whether hypothermia + dexmedetomidine treatment augments neuroprotecti...

Dexmedetomidine, a highly selective α-2 adrenoceptor agonist, produces vasoconstriction, which leads to transiently increased blood pressure. The goal of this study was to investigate specific protein kinases and the associated cellular signal pathways responsible for the increased calcium sensitization induced by dexmedetomidine in isolated rat aortas, with a particular focus on phosphorylatio...

Objective. To determine the efficacy and safety of high dose dexmedetomidine as a sole sedative agent for MRI. We report our institution's experience. Design. A retrospective institutional review of dexmedetomidine usage for pediatric MRI over 5.5 years. Protocol included a dexmedetomidine bolus of 2 μg/kg intravenously over ten minutes followed by 1 μg/kg/hr infusion. 544 patients received hig...

BACKGROUND The use of dexmedetomidine may have benefits on the clinical outcomes of cardiac surgery. We conducted a meta-analysis comparing the postoperative complications in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with dexmedetomidine versus other perioperative medications to determine the influence of perioperative dexmedetomidine on cardiac surgery patients. METHODS Randomized or quasi-randomi...

The pronounced prevalence of delirium in geriatric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and its increased morbidity and mortality is a well-established phenomenon. The purpose of this review is to explore the potential use of dexmedetomidine in preventing or managing ICU delirium in older patients. Articles used were identified and selected through multiple search engines, includi...