DahLIA trial found precedex helps earlier extubation in agitated patients

• related: SBT and SAT spontaneous awakening and breathing trials
• tags: #literature #pulmonology #icu

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Some patients, especially those with delirium, develop significant enough agitation during the spontaneous awakening trial that they may endanger their own safety when spontaneous awakening trials are attempted. The double-blind, placebo-controlled Dexmedetomidine to Lessen ICU Agitation (DahLIA) study from Australia and New Zealand demonstrated that addition of dexmedetomidine (or transition to dexmedetomidine for sedation) in patients receiving mechanical ventilation who have agitated delirium resulted in earlier successful extubation. Side effects of dexmedetomidine include bradycardia, hypotension, and rarely asystole.¹

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Links to this note

• ICU intensive care unit

  • DahLIA trial found precedex helps earlier extubation in agitated patients

• ICU sedation

  • DahLIA trial found precedex helps earlier extubation in agitated patients

Footnotes

1. Reade MC, Eastwood GM, Bellomo R, et al; DahLIA Investigators; Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. Effect of dexmedetomidine added to standard care on ventilator-free time in patients with agitated delirium: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2016;315(14):1460-1468. PubMed ↩ ↩²