Table 2.
Physiological, laboratory, and treatment variables at the start of clonidine or dexmedetomidine therapy.
| Variable | All (n = 334) | Clonidine group (n = 193) | Dexmedetomidine group (n = 141) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemodynamic parameters | ||||
| (i) Heart rate (1/min) | 90 (80–100) | 90 (75–100) | 90 (80–105) | 0.028 |
| (ii) Mean arterial pressure (mmHg) | 70 (65–75) n = 333 | 70 (65–80) n = 192 | 70 (65–75) | 0.093 |
| (iii) Central venous pressure (mmHg) | 10 (7–12) n = 322 | 9 (6–12) n = 185 | 10 (8–13) n = 137 | 0.025 |
| (iv) Cardiac index (l/m [2]/min) | 2.7 (2.5–3.3) n = 51 | 2.6 (2.4–3.0) n = 19 | 2.8 (2.6–3.5) n = 32 | 0.101 |
| (v) SvO2 (%) | 69 (63–75) n = 239 | 69 (64–75) n = 173 | 65 (59–75) n = 66 | 0.060 |
|
| ||||
| Laboratory values | ||||
| (i) Haemoglobin (g/l) | 91 (83–103) n = 331 | 94 (85–107) | 88 (80–97) n = 138 | 0.002 |
| (ii) White blood cell count (G/l) | 11.5 (8.8–15.1) n = 331 | 11.8 (8.8–15.1) n = 191 | 11.1 (8.6–15.1) n = 140 | 0.498 |
| (iii) C-reactive protein (mg/l) | 62 (14–131) n = 326 | 53 (6–133) n = 185 | 69 (34–129) | 0.100 |
| (iv) Procalcitonin (mcg/l) | 1.91 (0.52–6.25) n = 46 | 1.43 (0.31–4.10) n = 28 | 3.46 (1.10–17.07) n = 18 | 0.075 |
| (v) Creatinine (mcmol/l) | 99 (78–141) | 94 (76–133) | 110 (83–150) | 0.005 |
| (vi) Aspartate transaminase (U/l) | 62 (39–119) n = 322 | 55 (35–107) n = 184 | 71 (44–133) n = 138 | 0.026 |
| (vii) Alanine transaminase (U/l) | 27 (17–58) n = 325 | 27 (16–58) n = 188 | 28 (17–63) n = 137 | 0.606 |
| (viii) Creatine kinase (U/l) | 474 (242–847) n = 329 | 484 (228–889) n = 188 | 468 (255–807) n = 141 | 0.919 |
| (ix) Myoglobin (mcg/l) | 371 (218–767) n = 325 | 378 (229–670) n = 186 | 368 (214–898) n = 139 | 0.640 |
| (x) Troponin (mcg/l) | 0.81 (0.35–1.69) n = 320 | 0.78 (0.30–1.54) n = 184 | 0.84 (0.43–1.97) n = 136 | 0.135 |
| (xi) Arterial lactate (mmol/l) | 1.5 (1.0–2.3) n = 330 | 1.4 (1.05–2.2) | 1.5 (1.0–2.6) n = 137 | 0.650 |
| (xii) Arterial base excess (mmol/l) | −1.1 (−3.0–0.3) n = 330 | −1.2 (−2.7–0.3) | −1.0 (−3.3–0.4) n = 137 | 0.574 |
|
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| Treatments | ||||
| Propofol n (%) | 127 (38%) | 70 (36%) | 57 (40%) | 0.494 |
|
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| Mechanical ventilation | ||||
| (i) Invasive n (%) | 235 (70%) | 124 (64%) | 111 (79%) | 0.017 |
| (ii) Noninvasive n (%) | 7 (2.1 %) | 5 (2.6%) | 2 (1.4%) | |
| Renal replacement therapy-n (%) | 34 (10.2 %) | 23 (12%) | 11 (7.8%) | 0.235 |
| Norepinephrine n (%) | 248 (74 %) | 133 (69 %) | 115 (82%) | 0.011 |
|
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| Inotropes | ||||
| (i) Milrinone n (%) | 80 (24%) | 35 (18%) | 45 (32%) | 0.004 |
| (ii) Epinephrine n (%) | 73 (22%) | 33 (17%) | 40 (28%) | 0.016 |
SvO2: central venous oxygen saturation. Variables were collected at start of clonidine or dexmedetomidine treatment.