Table 1. Participant Characteristics.
| Characteristics | Dexmedetomidine Group (n = 100) |
Control Group (n = 101) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 68 (14.9) | 69 (13.6) |
| Male, No. (%) | 63 (63) | 64 (63) |
| Body weight, mean (SD), kg | 55 (12.5) | 58 (15.3) |
| COPD, No. (%) | 8 (8) | 9 (9) |
| Soft tissue infection, No. (%) | 8 (8) | 10 (10) |
| Emergency surgery, No. (%) | 37 (37) | 36 (36) |
| Renal replacement therapy, No. (%) | 22 (22) | 20 (20) |
| APACHE II score, median (IQR)a | 23 (18-29) | 22 (16-29.5) |
| SOFA scores, median (IQR)b | ||
| Overall score | 8 (6-11) | 9 (5-11) |
| Respiratory score | 2 (1-3) | 2 (1-3) |
| Circulatory score | 3 (2-4) | 3 (1.5-4) |
| Renal score | 1 (0-2) | 1 (0-3) |
| Hepatic score | 0 (0-1) | 0 (0-1) |
| Neurological score | 1 (0-2) | 0 (0-3) |
| Coagulation score | 0 (0-2) | 1 (0-2) |
| Shock, No. (%)c | 71 (71) | 68 (67) |
| Lactate level, median (IQR), mmol/Ld | 3.7 (2.1-5.4) | 3.3 (1.8-5.4) |
| C-reactive protein, median (IQR), mg/dL | 13.8 (6.0-25.7) | 16.8 (6.4-25.8) |
| Procalcitonin, median (IQR), ng/mL | 15.2 (2.8-44.9) | 14.6 (1.5-81.5) |
| Comorbidities, No. (%) | ||
| Immunocompromised | 16 (16) | 15 (15) |
| Chronic hemodialysis | 7 (7) | 7 (7) |
| Chronic respiratory disorder | 4 (4) | 5 (5) |
| Chronic heart failure | 2 (2) | 2 (2) |
| Liver insufficiency | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Site of infection, No. (%) | ||
| Abdomen | 39 (39) | 35 (35) |
| Thorax | 39 (39) | 33 (33) |
| Urinary tract | 6 (6) | 10 (10) |
| Pancreatitis | 3 (3) | 9 (9) |
| Skin and soft tissue | 6 (6) | 7 (7) |
| Central nervous system | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Others | 6 (6) | 6 (6) |
Abbreviations: APACHE II, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; IQR, interquartile range; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.
a
The APACHE II score ranges from 0 to 71, with higher scores indicating more severe disease.
b
The SOFA score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating more severe disease.
c
Shock was defined as having 3 or more cardiovascular components of the SOFA score.
d
Serum lactate level was missing for 3 patients.