Low-dose Dexmedetomidine and Postoperative Delirium After Cardiac Surgery

NCT ID: NCT03624595

Last Updated: 2025-04-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

502 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-04-16

Study Completion Date

2025-08-31

Brief Summary

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Delirium is an acutely occurred and fluctuating cerebral dysfunction characterized with inattention, altered consciousness, cognitive decline and/or abnormal perception. It is common in the elderly after cardiac surgery and is associated with worse outcomes. Causes leading to delirium are multifactorial but sleep disturbances remains an important one. In previous studies, sedative-dose dexmedetomidine improves sleep quality in ICU patients with mechanical ventilation; and low-dose dexmedetomidine improves sleep quality in postoperative patients without mechanical ventilation. In recent studies of elderly after noncardiac surgery, night-time infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine reduces delirium and improves 2-year survival. The investigators hypothesize that, for elderly patients after cardiac surgery, night-time infusion of dexmedetomidine may also improve sleep quality, reduce delirium development and improve 2-year survival.

Detailed Description

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Delirium is an acutely occurred and fluctuating cerebral dysfunction characterized with inattention, altered consciousness, cognitive decline and/or abnormal perception. It is common in the elderly after cardiac surgery and is associated with worse outcomes.

The development of delirium is a consequence of multiple factors. For patients undergoing cardiac surgery, surgical stress and/or cardiopulmonary bypass can produce hyper-inflammatory and stress response, both of which are important factors leading to delirium. Meanwhile, patients in ICU after major surgery often develop sleep disturbances, which are also associated with increased risk of delirium.

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist with sedative, analgesic and anxiolytic properties. In previous studies of elderly patients admitted to ICU after non-cardiac surgery, continuous infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine during nighttime improves sleep quality, reduces delirium, and improves 2-year survival.

The investigators hypothesize that, for patients admitted to ICU after cardiac surgery, nighttime infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine can decrease the incidence of delirium and improve long-term survival. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of nighttime infusion of low-dose dexmedetomidine on postoperative sleep quality, delirium, and 2-year survival in elderly patients admitted to ICU after cardiac surgery.

Conditions

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Cardiac Surgery Cardiopulmonary Bypass Dexmedetomidine Delirium Survival

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Dexmedetomidine group

Dexmedetomidine infusion is administered from 16:00 to 08:00 during the night of surgery; and will repeated for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights. For patients with mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.2-0.7 ug/kg/h; for those without mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.05-0.2 ug/kg/h. The target depth of sedation is Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) -1.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Dexmedetomidine

Intervention Type DRUG

Dexmedetomidine infusion is administered from 16:00 to 08:00 during the night of surgery in the intensive care unit; and will repeated for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights. For patients with mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.2-0.7 ug/kg/h; for those without mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.05-0.2 ug/kg/h. The target depth of sedation is Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) -1.

Placebo group

Placebo (normal saline) infusion is administered from 16:00 to 08:00 in the same speed for the same duration as in the dexmedetomidine group. The conventional sedation is provided when necessary with propofol and/or midazolam by intravenous infusion/injection. The target depth of sedation depth is RASS -1.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo (normal saline) infusion is administered in the same rate for the same duration as in the dexmedetomidine group. The conventional sedation is provided when necessary with propofol and/or midazolam by intravenous infusion/injection. The target depth of sedation depth is RASS -1.

Interventions

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Dexmedetomidine

Dexmedetomidine infusion is administered from 16:00 to 08:00 during the night of surgery in the intensive care unit; and will repeated for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights. For patients with mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.2-0.7 ug/kg/h; for those without mechanical ventilation, the infusion rate is 0.05-0.2 ug/kg/h. The target depth of sedation is Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) -1.

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo

Placebo (normal saline) infusion is administered in the same rate for the same duration as in the dexmedetomidine group. The conventional sedation is provided when necessary with propofol and/or midazolam by intravenous infusion/injection. The target depth of sedation depth is RASS -1.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Low-dose dexmedetomidine infusion Normal saline infusion

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Age ≥60 years but \<90 years;
2. Scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass under general anesthesia;
3. Expected to stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) for at least 1 night after surgery.

Exclusion Criteria

Patients who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded.

1. Refuse to participate in the study;
2. Preoperative history of schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinsonism, or myasthenia gravis;
3. Preoperative obstructive sleep apnea (previously diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea, or the snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, high blood pressure-body mass index, age, neck circumference and gender \[STOP-Bang\] questionnaires ≥3);
4. Inability to communicate during the preoperative period because of coma, profound dementia or language barrier;
5. Preoperative sick sinus syndrome, severe sinus bradycardia (\< 50 beats per minute), or second-degree atrioventricular block or above without pacemaker;
6. Severe hepatic dysfunction (Child-Pugh class C);
7. Severe renal dysfunction (requirement of renal replacement therapy) before surgery;
8. Presence of delirium (diagnosed by the Confusion Assessment Method \[CAM\]/CAM for the Intensive Care Unit \[CAM-ICU\]);
9. Current treatment with dexmedetomidine or clonidine.
Minimum Eligible Age

60 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

90 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Fu Wai Hospital, Beijing, China

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Dong-Xin Wang

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dong-Xin Wang

Professor and Chairman, Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Dong-Xin Wang, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Peking University First Hospital

Locations

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Beijing University First Hospital

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Site Status

Fuwai Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Site Status

Countries

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China

References

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Other Identifiers

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2018-181

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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