Evaluation of Early Dexmedetomidine Addition to the Standard of Care for Severe Alcohol Withdrawal in the ICU: A Retrospective Controlled Cohort Study.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the impact of dexmedetomidine (DEX) administration on benzodiazepine (BZD) requirements in intensive care unit (ICU) patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).

METHODS

This trial included adults admitted to the ICU for >24 hours for AWS. Early DEX was defined as receiving DEX within 60 hours of hospital admission. The primary outcome was 12-hour BZD requirement from the inflection point or DEX initiation. Secondary outcomes included 24-hour BZD requirements, symptom control, ICU and hospital length of stay, and incidence and duration of mechanical ventilation. Safety outcomes included incidence of bradycardia and hypotension.

RESULTS

Twenty patients receiving DEX were matched to 22 control patients. The mean 12-hour change in BZD requirement was significantly different for DEX versus control (-20 vs -8.3 mg, P = .0455) with a trend toward significance at 24 hours (-29.6 vs -11 mg, P = .06). No significant differences were noted in other secondary outcomes. Patients receiving DEX experienced significantly more bradycardia than controls (35% vs 0%, P < .01) but not hypotension.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests DEX is associated with a reduction in BZD requirement when utilized as adjunctive therapy for AWS. A larger prospective trial is needed to evaluate the clinical impact of DEX for AWS.