Table 4.
Blood-borne stress markers
| Analyte | Normal range | Dexmedetomidine (n = 51) | Usual care (n = 52) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress hormones | ||||
| ACTH (ng/L)* | 10–50 | 17.1 [15.1–19.5] | 18.1 [15.9–20.5] | 0.56 |
| Aldosterone (pmol/L)* | 0–400 (supine) | 71.8 [50.4–102.3] | 59.7 [42.1–84.8] | 0.46 |
| Adrenaline (nmol/L)*‡ | < 3.5 | 0.32 [0.26–0.4] | 0.38 [0.31–0.48] | 0.25 |
| Noradrenaline (nmol/L)*‡ | < 1 | 4.27 [3.12–5.85] | 6.2 [4.6–8.5] | 0.09 |
| Total cortisol (mU/L)* | 140–640 | 515 [409–648] | 618 [491–776] | 0.26 |
| Anabolic and catabolic hormones | ||||
| GH (mU/L) n* | Post-suppression < 0.5 post-stimulation > 10 | 2.77 [2.06–3.71] | 1.97 [1.48–2.64] | 0.1 |
| Insulin (mU/L)* | 2–23 | 16.9 [13.4–21.4] | 16.0 [12.6–20.2] | 0.73 |
| Leptin (ng/ml)* | 3.7–11.1 | 21.6 [16.7–27.9] | 25.9 [20.1–33.4] | 0.31 |
| Oestradiol (pmol/L)* | < 180 (< 100 post-menopausal) | 119 [95.4–149.6] | 113 [90.6–141.5] | 0.73 |
| Prolactin (mU/L)* | Male 56–278, Female 58–416 | 510 [423–615] | 458 [381–551] | 0.42 |
| Testosterone (nmol/L)* | Male 9–35, Female 0.3–2.6 | 1.39 [1.14–1.71] | 1.56 [1.28–1.91] | 0.42 |
| fT3 (pmol/L) | 3.5–6 | 3.4 [3.3–3.6] | 3.4 [3.2–3.6] | 0.54 |
| T4 (pmol/L) | 7–17 | 11.8 [11.1–12.5] | 11.6 [10.9–12.3] | 0.64 |
| TSH (mU/L)* | 0.3–4.5 | 1.22 [0.95–1.56] | 1.34 [1.05–1.72] | 0.58 |
| Lipid metabolism | ||||
| Beta Hydroxybutyrate (mmol/L)* | < 0.2 | 0.17 [0.14–0.21] | 0.19 [0.16–0.23] | 0.46 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/L)* | > 1 | 0.43 [0.34–0.54] | 0.49 [0.39–0.62] | 0.43 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | < 6 | 2.8 [2.5–3.1] | 2.7 [2.4–3.0] | 0.42 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L)* | < 1.5 | 1.64 [1.43–1.86] | 1.52 [1.33–1.73] | 0.42 |
| Cardiac injury/dysfunction | ||||
| BNP (ng/L)* | < 100 | 266 [202–352] | 240 [182–316] | 0.6 |
| Troponin I (ng/L)* | < 0.04 | 0.11 [0.07–0.17] | 0.09 [0.06–0.14] | 0.58 |
| Other | ||||
| Creatinine (µmol/L)* | Male 60–110 Female 45–90 | 105.2 [90.9–122] | 97.7 [84.4–113.1] | 0.48 |
| Urea (mmol/L) | 2.9–8.2 | 11.6 [9.9–13.2] | 10.3 [8.7–11.9] | 0.27 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 35–50 | 23.9 [22.3–25.4] | 24.5 [23.0–26.0] | 0.56 |
| ALP (U/L)* | 30–110 | 88.1 [76.2–101.8] | 81.3 [70.6–93.7] | 0.43 |
| ALT (U/L)* | < 45 | 49.3 [36.5–66.7] | 41.7 [31–56] | 0.43 |
| AST (U/L)* | < 35 | 64.2 [47.2–87.1] | 61.6 [45.9–83.2] | 0.85 |
| Glucose (nmol/L) | 3–7.8 | 8.7 [8.1–9.2] | 8.3 [7.8–8.9] | 0.43 |
| Lactate (mmol/L)* | 0.5–2.2 | 1.36 [1.2–1.53] | 1.23 [1.09–1.38] | 0.25 |
| pH | Male 7.32–7.43, Female 7.35–7.45 | 7.38 [7.37–7.40] | 7.38 [7.36–7.39] | 0.68 |
| SBE (mmol/L) | − 2—> 3 | 0.69 [− 0.61–1.99] | 0.9 [− 0.38–2.17] | 0.82 |
| Platelets (× 109/L) | 140–400 | 221 [197–246] | 205 [181–229] | 0.33 |
| PT (secs) | 9–13 | 14.9 [13.5–16.2] | 15.1 [13.8–16.3] | 0.83 |
| WCC (× 109/L) | 3.5–11 | 14.3 [12.6–16.0] | 12.6 [10.9–14.2] | 0.14 |
ACTH adrenocorticotropic hormone, ALP alkaline phosphatase, ALT alanine transferase, AST aspartate transferase, BNP brain-natriuretic peptide, FT3 free triiodothyronine, GH growth hormone, HDL high density lipoprotein, PT prothrombin time, SBE standard base excess, T4 thyroxine, TSH thyroid stimulating hormone, WCC white cell count
p value represents the global comparison of DEX versus Usual Care derived from Analysis of variance
Data given as mean [95% CI] except where indicated
*Geometric mean
‡No data on exogenous administration of indicated biomarkers was available