Table 2. Subgroup analyses for the assessment of impact of dexmedetomidine (DEX) dose, operative time, duration of anesthesia, timing of DEX administration and surgery type on serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels after surgery.
| Subgroups | Studies with | No. of studies | Mean difference [95% CI] between DEX treated and control subjects | Between subgroup significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL-6 | ||||
| D1 | DEX dose* equal & over median (0.4 μg/kg/h) | 8 | −17.54 [−28.57, −6.52]; P = 0.002; REM | Z = 0.656; P = 0.512 |
| D2 | DEX dose* under median (0.4 μg/kg/h) | 6 | −91.66 [−126.28, −57.04]; P < 0.00001; REM | |
| ST1 | Surgery duration over median (184 min) | 5 | −31.31 [−54.82, −7.81]; P = 0.009; REM | Z = 0.041; P = 0.967 |
| ST2 | Surgery duration under median (184 min) | 4 | −30.01 [−46.69, −13.33]; P = 0.0004; REM | |
| AT1 | Anesthesia duration over median (266 min) | 5 | −108.29 [−171.25, −45.32]; P = 0.0008; REM | Z = 0.919; P = 0.358 |
| AT2 | Anesthesia duration under median (266 min) | 4 | −39.16 [−60.86, −17.46]; P = 0.0004; REM | |
| IO | Intraoperative DEX administration | 11 | −25.86 [−36.70, −15.02]; P < 0.00001; REM | Z = 0.635; P = 0.525 |
| PO | Postoperative DEX administration | 3 | −199.00 [−506.41, 108.41]; P = 0.20; REM | |
| C | Cardiac surgery patients | 4 | −18.50 [−33.48, −3.52]; P = 0.02; REM | Z = 1; P = 0.318 |
| NC | Non-cardiac surgery patients | 10 | −54.08 [−74.05, −34.11]; P < 0.00001; REM | |
| GIT | Gastrointestinal surgery patients | 5 | −113.58 [−167.78, −59.38]; P < 0.0001; REM | Z = 1.75; P = 0.079 |
| NGIT | Non-gastrointestinal surgery patients | 9 | −13.64 [−21.95, −5.33]; P = 0.001; REM | |
| TNF-α | ||||
| D1 | DEX dose* equal & over median (0.4 μg/kg/h) | 5 | −8.88 [−19.96, 2.20]; P = 0.12; REM | Z = 0.983; P = 0.325 |
| D2 | DEX dose* under median (0.4 μg/kg/h) | 4 | −43.26 [−69.92, −16.60];p = 0.001; REM | |
| ST1 | Surgery duration over median (167 min) | 4 | −26.08 [−45.08, −7.09]; P = 0.007; REM | Z = 0.923; P = 0.35 |
| ST2 | Surgery duration under median 167 min) | 3 | −134.65 [−265.76, −3.54]; P = 0.04; REM | |
| AT1 | Anesthesia duration over median (226 min) | 4 | −23.75 [−41.44, −6.07];P = 0.008; REM | Z = 0.642; P = 0.52 |
| AT2 | Anesthesia duration under median (226 min) | 2 | −171.94 [−490.11, 146.24]; P = 0.29; REM | |
| C | Cardiac surgery patients | 3 | −25.76 [−62.05, 10.52]; P = 0.16; REM | Z = 0.095; P = 0.924 |
| NC | Non-cardiac surgery patients | 7 | −22.32 [−34.65, −9.98]; P = 0.0004; REM | |
| GIT | Gastrointestinal surgery patients | 3 | −72.86 [−131.99, −13.74]; P = 0.02; REM | Z = 1.177; P = 0.239 |
| NGIT | Non-gastrointestinal surgery patients | 7 | −9.79 [−18.79, −0.80]; P = 0.03; REM | |
*Maintenance dose