Table 1.
Analysis Comparing Pre- and Post-Dexmedetomidine Data
| Endpoint | Sample size (n) for endpoint | 24 h before dex | First 24 H of dex therapy | Decrease in values following dex initiation (percent decrease) | pvalue | 95% Confidence interval for decrease seen after dex initiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Alcohol Withdrawal Scoring |
11 |
9.0 |
7.1 |
1.9 (21.1%) |
0.015 |
0.44–3.36(4.9%–37.3%) |
| Average Benzodiazepines Received (mg) |
17 |
52.7 |
20.3 |
32.4 (61.5%) |
<0.001 |
16.7–48.1(31.7%–91.3%) |
| Average Haloperidol Received (mg) |
17 |
12.0 |
6.4 |
5.6 (46.7%) |
0.052 |
0.03–11.23(−0.36–93.6%) |
| Average HR |
17 |
102.8 |
79.3 |
23.4 (22.8%) |
<0.001 |
18.4–28.4(17.9%–27.6%) |
| Average SBP |
17 |
140.2 |
126.7 |
13.5 (9.6%) |
0.002 |
5.32–21.68(3.8%–15.4%) |
| Hours With HR > 100 |
16 |
13.3 |
2.3 |
10.9 (82.0%) |
<0.001 |
7.4–14.4(55.6–108.3%) |
| Hours With SBP >140 |
16 |
11.0 |
6.3 |
4.7 (42.3%) |
0.02 |
0.8–8.6(3.8–15.4%) |
| Hours With HR <60 |
16 |
0.0 |
2.0 |
−2.0 |
0.055 |
4.05–0.05 |
| Hours With SBP <90 | 16 | 0.0 | 0.9 | −0.9 | 0.079 | 1.89–0.09 |
For dosing, total dose per 24 h period for each patient was averaged. For average vitals, mean values per 24 h period for each patient were averaged. For vitals outside normal range, total time outside normal range was calculated for each patient per 24 h period, and averaged. A sample size of 16 (instead of 17) was used for analyses of time spent with vitals outside normal, due to one patient having only six hours of available data. P values obtained from two-tailed paired t-tests. 95% confidence interval was calculated using t distribution for a paired sample and n-1 degrees of freedom. Dex = dexmedetomidine; SBP = systolic blood pressure; HR = heart rate.