Intensive Care Quality Of Sleep Improved By New Drug, Reports Study

A new depressant medication has been shown to improve sleep quality and comfort levels of intensive care patients, compared with the most commonly used drugs, according to research published in the journal JAMA .



USA and the UK researchers compared the effects of the new drug Dexmedetomidine with the commonly used sedatives lorazepam, both the pain and fear of mechanically ventilated ICU patients, which will help them to tolerate invasive procedures such as the inclusion of catheters and feeding tubes.



While routinem�ig administered Lorazepam successfully reduces discomfort, it was also associated with an increased risk of brain dysfunction, including coma and delirium, which extend patients' time in hospital and increase the chance of death.



now studies led by researchers at Vanderbilt University schools of medicine and nursing in the United States have shown that dexmedetomidine can better analgesia and sedation at the same time reducing the instances of coma and delirium.



The double-blind randomized controlled trials either dexmedetomidine or lorazepam for up to 120 hours to 106 volunteer adults mechanically ventilated ICU patients.



They noted that about 30 percent fewer patients in the group experienced Dexmedetomidine coma, and that this group also experienced an average of four more coma-free and delirium-day study on day one to 12 than those with lorazepam.



Dexmedetomidine also proved to be effective sedative, with 80 percent of the group Dexmedetomidine sedated at the desired level in the course of the trial, compared with 67% of lorazepam group.



The study, conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, builds on the pioneering work of Professor Mervyn Maze of Imperial College in London, discovered and patented the sedative and hypnotic properties of dexmedetomidine in the year 1986, while he was at Stanford University.



"This study is a very big step forward," said Professor Maze. "Although it is not a big trial, in relation to the number of patients, it shows conclusively that some sedatives have a positive effect on sleep than other ways."



doctors assume that an intensive care patient under sedation is usually about two hours of sleep, which all 24 hours. Professor Maze adds:



"Good quality sleep, both coma and delirium-free, it is of crucial importance for a patient to the intensive care unit, as we know, can increase their chances proposed before other diseases and infections, and, ultimately, their survival. The study shows that dexmedetomidine could be very good news for the very sick patients in ICU.



"After 20 years of study, and that understanding the mechanism of action and successfully predict the application, it is wonderful to have a demonstration of how the molecule actually improves patient quality of life. It is a great example of how translational medical research brings benefits to the patient. "



After the discovery of the molecular mechanism for the sedative effect in rodents, Professor Maze, in collaboration with Professor Nick Franks, of Imperial College, London, to understand how alpha-2 agonists Dexmedetomidine drugs like benzodiazepines are different from drugs such as lorazepam through studies of human volunteers.



The researchers hope that future studies measuring the quality of sleep, from ICU patients with different types of calming a better understanding of the effects of various drugs on brain dysfunction.



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article adapted from Medical News Today from the original press release. ,
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Source: Laura Gallagher


Imperial College London