Dexmedetomidine's sedative effects are due to selective stimulation of α 2 -adrenoreceptors in the locus ceruleus of the CNS. Because it does not have anticholinergic or GABA-stimulating effects, it has the potential to be a delirium-sparing sedative. In preliminary results presented in abstract form [95] , cardiac surgery patients (n = 55) randomly assigned to dexmedetomidine for postoperative sedation had a nonsignificantly lower incidence of postoperative delirium as compared with those sedated with propofol or a combination of fentanyl and midazolam (5% versus 54% versus 46%). The authors of that report plan to enroll a total of 90 patient in the study; perhaps these impressive differences will be statistically significant with a greater number of patients.