Abstract
Background
Dexmedetomidine (DEX) had organ protection effects and could decrease mortality in animal models, but its association with mortality and length of stay (LOS) in ICU and hospital in critically ill patients was conflicting. Whether acute kidney injury (AKI) subgroup of critically ill patients could benefit from DEX was unknown. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of DEX on clinical outcomes of critically ill patients with AKI.
Methods
Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Ⅲ database (MIMIC Ⅲ). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis (1:3), cox proportional hazards model, linear regression and logistic regression model were used to assess the effect of DEX on clinical outcomes.
Results
After PSM, 324 pairs of patients were matched between the patients with DEX administration and those without. DEX administration was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.287; 95% CI 0.151–0.542; P < 0.001] and 90-day mortality [HR 0.344; 95% CI 0.221–0.534; P < 0.001], and it was also associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) in ICU [4.54(3.13,7.72) versus 5.24(3.15,10.91), P < 0.001] and LOS in hospital [11.63(8.02,16.79) versus 12.09(7.83,20.44), P = 0.002]. Subgroup analysis showed the above associations existed only in mild and moderate AKI subgroups, but not in severe AKI subgroup. Nevertheless, DEX administration was not associated with the recovery of renal function [HR 1.199; 95% CI 0.851–1.688; P = 0.300].
Conclusions
DEX administration improved outcomes in critically ill patients with mild and moderate AKI and could be a good choice of sedation.
Effects of non-severe acute kidney injury on clinical outcomes in critically ill patients
