Sedative use of Dexmedetomidine vs. Propofol after Cardiac Surgery: A critical review and meta-analysis.
Abstract BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine in sedation for postoperative cardiac surgeries is controversial when compared to propofol. METHODS: A computerized search of Medline, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases was performed through August 2018. Studies evaluating the efficacy of dexmedetomidine versus propofol in the sedation of postoperative cardiac surgery patients were searched. The main study outcomes were divided into time dependent (mechanical ventilation time; time to extubation; length of stay in the intensive care unit and in the hospital) and non-time dependent (delirium, bradycardia, and hypotension). RESULTS: The final analysis included 15 trials with a total of 2488 patients. Time to extubation was significantly reduced in the dexmedetomidine group (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = -0.54, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): -0.89 to -0.18, p=0.003), as well as mechanical ventilation time (SMD= -0.71, 95% CI: -1.19 to -0.23, p=0.004). Moreover, the dexmedetomidine group showed a significant reduction in Intensive Care Unit length of stay (SMD= -0.38, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.16, p=0.001) and hospital length of stay (SMD= -0.39, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.19, p<0.001). However, these time dependent outcomes could have been affected by several confounding factors, thus limiting the value of these results. Incidence of delirium was reduced in the dexmedetomidine group (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.76, p=0.002), while this group of patients had higher rates of bradycardia (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 1.15 to 5.55, p=0.021). There was no significant difference in rates of hypotension between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Despite the apparent time advantages afforded by dexmedetomidine over propofol, the former does not show particular overall improvements in postoperative care of cardiac surgery patients. Since time dependent outcomes seems to be affected by several confounding factors, more efforts are needed to analyze factors that could affect sedation in post-cardiac surgery patients and choose unbiased outcomes. KEYWORDS: Dexmedetomidine; propofol; cardiac surgery; postoperative sedation.