Table 1. Meta-analyses outcomes as mean differences and 95% confidence interval between dexmedetomidine treated and control patients in changes from baseline in inflammatory markers.

Parameter	Studies	Patients	Mean difference [95% confidence interval]		I2	Results favour
			Fixed effects	Random effects
IL-6 levels (pg/ml) after surgery	14	564	−12.32 [−14.19, −10.46]; P < 0.00001	−25.14 [−35.29, −15.00]; P < 0.00001	95%	DEX
IL-6 levels (pg/ml) a day after surgery	13	557	−18.39 [−20.54, −16.25]; P < 0.00001	−41.55 [−57.41, −25.70]; P < 0.00001	98%	DEX
IL-8 levels (pg/ml) after surgery	5	233	−7.36 [−8.70, −6.02]; P < 0.00001	−5.69 [−10.77, −0.60]; P < 0.04	90%	DEX
IL-8 levels (pg/ml) a day after surgery	5	235	−5.73 [−7.50, −3.96]; P < 0.00001	−6.46 [−10.83, −2.08]; P < 0.005	70%	DEX
TNF-α levels (pg/ml) after surgery	10	438	−6.00 [−7.05, −4.94]; P < 0.00001	−20.30 [−30.93, −9.67]; P < 0.0002	98%	DEX
TNF-α levels (pg/ml) a day after surgery	10	438	−5.90 [−7.08, −4.71]; P < 0.00001	−14.67 [−22.61, −6.73]; P < 0.0003	96%	DEX
IL-10 levels (pg/ml) after surgery	4	153	4.44 [−0.80, 9.68]; P = 0.1	−2.18 [−31.28, 26.92]; P = 0.88	89%	Indifferent
IL-10 levels (pg/ml) a day after surgery	3	158	8.33 [3.31, 13.36]; P = 0.001	8.08 [−0.06, 16.22]; P = 0.05	45%	DEX
CRP levels (mg/l) after surgery	2	94	1.07 [−0.74, 2.88]; P = 0.25	−23.05 [−73.86, 27.75]; P = 0.37	94%	Indifferent
CRP levels (mg/l) a day after surgery	2	94	8.34 [2.31, 14.37]; P < 0.008	−49.58 [−180.90, 81.73]; P = 0.46	99%	Indifferent