Dexmedetomidine vs morphine and midazolam in the prevention and treatment of delirium after adult cardiac surgery; a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial

The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of neurobehavioral, hemodynamics and sedative characteristics of dexmedetomidine compared with morphine and midazolam-based regimen after cardiac surgery at equivalent levels of sedation and analgesia in improving clinically relevant outcomes such as delirium. Sixty patients were randomly allocated into one of two equal groups: group A = 30 patients received dexmedetomidine infusion (0.4-0.7 μg/kg/h) and Group B = 30 patients received morphine in a dose of 10-50 μg/kg/h as an analgesic with midazolam in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg up to 0.2 mg/kg as a sedative repeated as needed. Titration of the study medication infusions was conducted to maintain light sedation (Richmond agitation-sedation scale) (-2 to +1). Primary outcome was the prevalence of delirium measured daily through confusion assessment method for intensive care. Group A was associated with shorter length of mechanical ventilation, significant shorter duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay ( = 0.038), and lower risk of delirium following cardiac surgery compared to Group B. Group A showed statistically significant decrease in heart rate values 4 h after ICU admission ( = 0.015) without significant bradycardia. Group A had lower fentanyl consumption following cardiac surgery compared to Group B. Dexmedetomidine significantly reduced the length of stay in ICU in adult cardiac surgery with no significant reduction in the incidence of postoperative delirium compared to morphine and midazolam.