Table 2.
Reasons for participant admission to the intensive care unit, type of opoid and other sedatives used, vasoactive drugs used and clinical characteristics at entry to the trial
| Methylnaltrexone N = 41 |
Placebo N = 43 |
All N = 84 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Reason for ICU admission [N (%)]a | |||
| Medical (non-operative) | 31 (75.6) | 34 (79.1) | 65 (77.4) |
| Surgical—emergency (operative) | 10 (24.4) | 6 (14) | 16 (19) |
| Surgical—elective (operative) | 0 (0) | 3 (7) | 3 (3.6) |
| Type of opioid [N (%)]b | |||
| Fentanyl | 29 (70.7) | 35 (81.4) | 64 (76.2) |
| Remifentanil | 9 (22) | 8 (18.6) | 17(20.2) |
| Morphine | 2 (4.9) | 0 (0) | 2 (2.4) |
| None | 1 (2.4) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.2) |
| Patients receiving other sedativesc [N (%)] | 34 (82.9) | 36 (83.7) | 70 (83.3) |
| Patients receiving vasoactive drugsc [N (%)] | 25 (60.9) | 27 (62.8) | 52 (61.9) |
| Patients receiving any muscle relaxant [N (%)] | 6 (14.6) | 5 (11.6) | 11 (13.1) |
| Patients receiving selective digestive decontamination (SDD) (N = 84) | 4 (9.8) | 10 (23.3) | 14 (16.7) |
| PaO2/FiO2 ratio (mmHg) (N = 84) [median (IQR)] | 223 (182, 322) | 262 (158, 329) | 236 (171, 326) |
| Patient has moderate or severe ARDS (N = 84) | 2 (4.9) | 4 (9.3) | 6 (7.1) |
| Creatinine (µmol/L) (N = 74) [median (IQR)] | 63.5 (55, 111) | 68.5 (56.5, 103.5) | 64.5 (55, 106) |
| Renal replacement therapy (N = 84) | 4 (9.8%) | 4 (9.3%) | 8 (9.5%) |
| Bilirubin (µmol/L) (N = 73) [Median (IQR)] | 13.5 (7, 23) | 10.0 (5, 24) | 13 (6, 24) |
| Richmond Agitation Sedation Score (N = 83) [Median (IQR)] | − 5 (− 5, − 4) | − 4 (− 5, − 4) | − 5 (− 5, − 4) |
| Patient has traumatic brain injury [N(%)](N = 84) | 8 (19.5) | 7 (16.3) | 15 (17.9) |
| Total APACHE II score (N = 84) [median (IQR)] | 20 (13, 23) | 16 (14, 22) | 17 (13.5, 22) |
aFull details of reason for ICU admission are given in Supplementary Table 1
bFurther details of the opioids received after administration of study drug are given in Supplementary Table 2
cFurther details of sedatives and vasoactive drugs received are given in Supplementary Tables 3 and 4