Clinical trial NCT02004613
Conditions: Heart Disease
Sponsor: The Cleveland Clinic
Start date: 2013-06-01; Completion date: 2020-12-18
Enrollment: 798 participants; Allocation: RANDOMIZED; Intervention model: PARALLEL

Brief summary:
Ancillary Effects of Dexmedetomidine Sedation After Cardiac Surgery

Detailed description:
The investigator goal is to evaluate the effects of intraoperative and postoperative dexmedetomidine sedation (versus placebo after cardiac surgery.

Arms: arm 1: Dexmedetomidine infusion, without a bolus dose, (or a comparable volume of placebo) will be initiated before the surgical incision at a rate of 0.1 mcg/kg/hr at the end of bypass, the dose will be increased to 0.2 mcg/kg/hr. Postoperatively patients will continue to receive the study medication at a rate of 0.4mcg/kg/hr. The study medication infusion will be continued for a total of 24 hours from the initial administration time intra-operatively. arm 2: normal saline administration matching dexmedetomidine rate of infusion.
Interventions: intervention 1: Dexmedetomidine intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Dexmedetomidine intervention 2: Normal saline administration matching dexmedetomidine rate of infusion

Protocol documents:
Prot_SAP_000.pdf: 
 
Page 1 of 32 
1/12/2016 
 
 
 
 
Ancillary Effects of Dexmedetomidine 
Sedation After Cardiac Surgery  
 
Alparslan Turan, M.D. and Colleagues 
 
Department of OUTCOMES RESEARCH 
Cleveland Clinic 
 
NCT02004613 
JANUARY 12, 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
1/12/2016 
2
Preface 
Dexmedetomidine is FDA approved for procedural and critical care sedation. It is 
widely used for this purpose and has an excellent efficacy and safety record. Like any 
drug, dexmedetomidine presumably has ancillary side effects and benefits. Likely 
consequences are reduced risk of atrial fibrillation and flutter, reduced postoperative 
delirium, renal protection or harm, and reduced persistent incisional pain. On the other 
hand, dexmedetomidine costs more than other sedatives such as propofol. We thus 
propose to evaluate the ancillary effect of dexmedetomidine sedation, and the cost of 
dexmedetomidine use.  
 Our proposed study fully complies with the letter and spirit of the rules for IND 
exemptions: 1) we will not use study results to support an FDA application for a new 
indication and labeling; 2) the investigation will not support a change in advertising; 
3) the dose, route, and population in this study will be as approved; and, 4) the study 
will be conducted with IRB approval and dexmedetomidine will not be represented as 
safe or effective for the outcomes under study.  
 
  
 
1. Background 
 
Dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist with known sedative and 
analgesic properties (1). It also causes reduction in blood pressure, bradycardia, and 
inhibition 
of 
platelet 
aggregation, 
renin 
release 
and 
insulin 
secretion 
(1). 
Dexmedetomidine has a chemical structure similar to clonidine, but with a greater 
affinity for the alpha-2 receptor (36). Dexmedetomidine has been used successfully in 
anesthesia for neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and bariatric surgery, as well as for 
sedation in the intensive care unit (2).  
Since its approval by the FDA in 1999, dexmedetomidine has been increasingly 
used in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to facilitate both sedation and analgesia, as it is 
associated with low respiratory depression (3). Postsurgical patients are often intubated 
and mechanically ventilated (4). It is a common practice to use a benzodiazepine or 
propofol for sedation in mechanically ventilated patients and then switch to 
dexmedetomidine to attempt extubation. However, dexmedetomidine has been 
increasingly administered as a continuous infusion throughout the ICU admission (64). 
The dexmedetomidine-induced sleep and non-rapid eye movement sleep mimics 
normal sleep, i.e. patients can be easily aroused, and thus there are clinical advantages 
to both the individual and care providers (3). 
Hemodynamic effects 
Dexmedetomidine is known to have sympatholytic effects on hemodynamics at 
low doses, however increased peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure 
(systemic and pulmonary) can be observed at high doses. In anesthetized dogs, the 
dexmedetomidine (5) administration lowered heart rate, cardiac index (CI) and systemic 
oxygen transport index in comparison with the control group. (6) Aortic cross- camping 


 
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3
increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) 
in both groups, but the effects were greater with dexmedetomidine. CI, heart rate, and 
systemic oxygen transport index were lower, while central venous pressure and 
pulmonary artery occlusion pressure were higher with dexmedetomidine compared to 
controls. After aortic unclamping, MAP, CVP and SVRI were maintained higher by 
dexmedetomidine (6). In a small study in vascular surgery, patients were randomly 
assigned to achieve three plasma levels of dexmedetomidine (0.15 ng/ml (low dose), 
0.30 ng/ml (medium dose), or 0.45 ng/ml (high dose). The medication was administered 
as a continuous infusion from 1 h before induction of anesthesia until 48 h 
postoperatively (1). In all subjects heart rate decreased (low dose 11%, medium dose 
5%, and high dose 20%) and systolic blood pressure decreased (low dose 3%, medium 
dose 12%, and high dose 20%). (7) A targeted plasma concentration of 0.45 ng/ml (on 
average 8.03 micro g /kg (range 5.57 – 9.87 micro g/kg) was found beneficial for 
stabilizing perioperative hemodynamics in vascular surgery patients, and also for 
decreasing anesthetic requirements, and decreasing the level of circulating 
catecholamine’s. (7) 
Cardiac function and coronary blood flow 
In healthy patients, the administration of dexmedetomidine slightly depresses 
systolic function without altering the diastolic function. This negative inotropic effect may 
be associated to a reduction in the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine during 
dexmedetomidine infusion. Moreover, a reduction in the cardiac work and sympatholytic 
effect is responsible of a substantial decrease in myocardial blood flow, thus coupling 
between cardiac oxygen demand and supply is maintained. (7) In an animal model of 
coronary ischemia, dexmedetomidine showed an anti-ischemic effect also related to 
sympatholysis and improved myocardial oxygen balance with preferred blood flow 
distribution to the endocardium (5). Therefore, medications that favors or improve 
coronary blood flow are favorable in the immediate postoperative period of cardiac 
surgery. 
 
Cardiac Surgery and Dexmedetomidine use 
There are many rationales to use dexmedetomidine in cardiac surgery. Jalonen 
et al. (9) evaluated dexmedetomidine use in patients undergoing coronary artery 
revascularization they determined that dexmedetomidine decreased the sympathetic 
tone and attenuated the hyper dynamic response to surgery but increased hypotension. 
In a recent study (10), with dexmedetomidine infusion HR and MAP were found to be 
moderately decreased in comparison to baseline values and no severe bradycardia or 
hypotension requiring intervention was encountered. They determined no response to 
sternotomy and bypass. Dexmedetomidine can be safely used in CABG operations 
delivering a stable hemodynamic status throughout the operative period. Furthermore, 
dexmedetomidine was found to decrease the need of inhalational anesthetics required 
for cardiac surgery (11). And another recent study demonstrated that dexmedetomidine 
combined with ketamine had significant cardio protective effects in cardiac surgery 
compared to inhalational agent combined with opioids (12). Cardiovascular mortality 
and morbidity can be decreased with the sympatholytic effects of α2-receptor agonists 
in patients with coronary artery disease, however this was not adequately studied. 


 
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4
Effect on cardiac electrophysiology 
Dexmedetomidine has prominent effect on the cardiac conduction system. Sinus 
node and atrial ventricular nodal function is significantly depressed after the 
administration of dexmedetomidine. (13) The results from a small trial in children 
undergoing cardiac surgery indicate a potential role in the treatment of acute onset of 
atrial or junctional tachycardia. Briefly, a rapid bolus of 0.5 to 1 mcg/kg/min in patients 
with reentry type supraventricular tachycardia converted this rhythm to normal sinus 
rhythm. (14) In adults, the incidence of tachycardia after cardiac surgery was lower in 
patients treated intraoperatively with dexmedetomidine compared to placebo. However, 
the number of patients who developed new onset atrial fibrillation was comparable in 
both groups. (8) In a recent study in congenital cardiac surgery, dexmedetomidine given 
intraoperative and postoperatively decreased the incidence of supraventricular 
arrhythmias from 25% to 6%, without significant adverse effects. (15) In a laboratory 
study, dexmedetomidine also prevented halothane-epinephrine induced ventricular 
tachycardia by increasing the dysrrhytmogenic dose and the plasma concentrations at 
which arrhythmia occurs. (16)  
Dexmedetomidine and Inflammation 
Cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass strongly triggers an inflammatory 
response. Increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines can be detected during and 
after cardiac surgery (17). Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery seems to be in 
response to a pro-inflammatory state. (18) The administration of corticosteroids during 
cardiac surgery has shown the decrease the incidence of atrial fibrillation. (19) Sepsis 
and subsequently multi organ dysfunction remains as one of the leading cause of death 
after cardiac surgery and both states are characterized by an uncontrolled inflammatory 
response. Therefore, the use of immune-modulatory medications may be beneficial. 
Pre-clinical studies suggest that dexmedetomidine has anti-inflammatory effects. 
For instance its administration ameliorates the inflammatory response associated to 
spinal cord injury. (20) Moreover, the administration of dexmedetomidine improves 
survival in animals with sepsis. (21) In Humans, dexmedetomidine infusion decreased 
cytokine production in sepsis at a greater level than midazolam. There were significant 
decreases in TNF-a [19.5 (5.8) vs 14.6 (4) pg ml21], IL-1b [6.29(2) vs 5 (0.30) pg ml21], 
IL-6 [455.6 (338.4) vs (212.4) (198.3) pg ml21], at 24 h in the dexmedetomidine group, 
compared to midazolam (P, 0.05) (22) Similarly, study with propofol and 
dexmedetomidine demonstrated significant decrease in inflammatory mediators 
compared to propofol with dexmedetomidine (23). These studies suggest that 
dexmedetomidine may have a positive impact in controlling the inflammatory response 
associated to cardiac surgery. And number of studies has demonstrated that giving 
corticosteroids prophylactically decreases the risk of atrial fibrillation. 
Preliminary Results on atrial arrhythmia and Rationale 
Previously defined effect on cardiac electrophysiology and inflammation makes 
dexmedetomidine reasonable preventive drug for post cardiac surgery fibrillation. 
However, there is no prospective randomized clinical study evaluating this in the 
literature in adult patient population. Supporting these, in a recent previous retrospective 
study (24), we used data from the Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Anesthesiology database, 


 
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5
and compared patients who were or were not given dexmedetomidine for postoperative 
sedation within 3 days after cardiac surgery using a multivariable logistic regression, 
adjusting for imbalanced covariables. In this study, we evaluated the electronic records 
of 17,776 patients, including 765 cardiac patients given dexmedetomidine for 
postoperative sedation in ICU, and 17,011 cardiac patients who did not. After adjusting 
for imbalanced factors we found that patients given postoperative dexmedetomidine had 
a decreased odds of for having atrial arrhythmias: 0.74 (95% CI: 0.60, 0.91, P = 0.004). 
In a recent report (25), dexmedetomidine was started after surgery in ICU and they 
determined the incidence of atrial fibrillation to be 6 % in dexmedetomidine group 
compared to 35% in the control group. 
There are significant preliminary evidence to support the concept of 
dexmedetomidine to be effective in prevention of atrial arrhythmias after cardiac 
surgery, however there are no studies done in adult patient population to evaluate these 
in a randomized controlled trial. 
Preliminary Results on Delirium and Rationale 
Studies evaluating delirium after cardiac surgery with dexmedetomidine have 
mixed results. Maldonado et al. (26) determined that dexmedetomidine after cardiac 
surgery decreased the incidence of delirium from 50 % to 3%. However, in another 
study dexmedetomidine was compared with morphine and dexmedetomidine reduced 
the duration but not the incidence of delirium after cardiac surgery (27). However, these 
studies are underpowered to determine for certain the effect of dexmedetomidine on 
delirium after cardiac surgery. Current study with large sample size will bring information 
about dexmedetomidine and delirium.  
Incidence of Atrial fibrillations and Delirium 
 
An estimated 17 million people in world die of cardiovascular diseases, 
particularly heart attacks and strokes, every year. Heart disease is also the leading 
cause of death in the United States. In 2007, one-quarter of all deaths (616,000) were 
from diseases of the heart (27). Heart diseases like ischemic heart disease, congenital 
or valvular heart diseases require cardiac surgery at some point. As a consequence, 
coronary revascularization, comprising coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery 
and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), are among the most common major 
medical procedures provided by the US health care system, with more than 7 million 
procedures performed annually (28). It is also among the most costly with inpatient 
payments to hospitals for coronary revascularizations exceeded $6.7 billion in fiscal 
year 2006 for Medicare patients alone, an amount larger than the reimbursement for 
any other medical or surgical procedure) (29).  
Most of the cardiac surgeries require use of cardio pulmonary bypass (CPB), 
which is responsible for major inflammatory response seen in this surgery. This 
response is associated with most of the postoperative complications. Recovery period 
after cardiac surgery is frequently affected with different complications. Furthermore 4-
5% of patients will not survive their hospital stay after cardiac surgery. Postoperative 
atrial arrhythmia and delirium are the most common complications encountered after 


 
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6
CABG surgery. Postoperative atrial arrhythmias affect morbidity, mortality, prolong 
intensive care unit and hospital stay, and increase costs related to surgery 
(30,31,32,33). Delirium is an important prognostic determinant of hospital outcomes 
including poor cognitive recovery, functional decline, nursing home placement and 
death (34,35). Prevention of atrial arrhythmias and delirium after cardiac surgery has 
been infrequently studied with some success.  
Atrial Arrhythmias after Cardiac surgery 
Incidence and Clinical Impact 
Postoperative atrial arrhythmias incidence ranges depending on surgery type. 
The incidence of postoperative atrial arrhythmias specifically atrial fibrillation is between 
25-35 % in isolated CABG and higher in valve procedures; the incidence is around 50 % 
in combined surgeries (36). Incidence is continuously rising, which seems to be related 
to patients undergoing cardiac surgery are getting older since incidence is very much 
dependent on age. Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery usually occurs between day 2 
and 4, however can happen as late as postoperative day 6 (37). There are many factors 
associated with occurrence; history of atrial fibrillation, gender, left atrium enlargement, 
renal failure and diabetes are some (38).  
Previous studies have found that atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery has 
significant association with morbidity and mortality (39,40,41,42,43). In a recent study, 
patients with atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery had higher rates of 1 year all-cause 
mortality (40). A meta-analysis evaluating mortality after new onset atrial fibrillation after 
cardiac surgery included 11 studies with over 40 thousand patients (41). They 
determined that new onset atrial fibrillation was associated with 50 % increase in short 
term mortality and almost doubled the risk of dying in 1 and 4 years after surgery. 
Villareal et al. (6) also found that new-onset atrial fibrillation was associated with a 
higher risk of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.5 [95% CI, 1.3–1.8]; P<0.0001). Mariscalco et 
al. (44) followed 1832 patients (570 with new-onset atrial fibrillation) for up to 6 years 
and Ahlsson and colleagues (45) followed 1419 patients (419 with new-onset atrial 
fibrillation) up to 9 years after CABG. A higher number of deaths owing to 
cerebrovascular events (51/82 vs 20/ 419) was reported by Mariscalco et al., (44) 
although some of the difference in mortality resulting from cerebral events could be 
related to how new-onset atrial fibrillation was treated. 
Researchers demonstrated increase in need for mechanical support, prolonged 
ventilator support and renal failure after cardiac surgery. There are also many other 
complications associated with atrial fibrillation including thromboembolic events, 
perioperative 
myocardial 
infarction 
gastrointestinal 
complications, 
infective 
complications (e.g., septicemia, mediastinitis and pneumonia), cognitive changes, 
stroke, 
hemodynamic 
issues 
and 
ventricular 
dysrhythmias 
(41,42,43,44,45). 
Furthermore, postoperative atrial fibrillation was estimated to prolong hospital stay by 
almost 4.9 days, and hence, the cost of atrial fibrillation and level of hospital resources 
was significant (31). Aranki et al (38) reported duration of hospitalization in patients with 
postoperative atrial fibrillation an average of 3 to 4 days longer than in patients in 
normal sinus rhythm. Other authors reported similar results, with additional costs 
attributable to postoperative atrial fibrillation ranging from $5,000 to $12,000 per patient 
(47,48,49). 


 
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7
Pathophysiology and Mechanisms 
The mechanisms behind atrial fibrillation seem to be multifactorial and have not 
been fully identified. Previous studies have suggested that atrial fibrillation may be result 
of an existing electrophysiological disturbance that becomes prominent with all the insult 
to cardiac tissue (50). Mechanisms like pericardial inflammation, autonomic imbalance 
during the postoperative period, excessive production of catecholamine’s, and a fluid 
shift with resultant changes in volume and pressure, operative trauma, inflammation, 
autonomic nervous system imbalance are all attributed to the development of 
postoperative atrial fibrillation (37). These factors alter atrial refractoriness; causing 
multiple re entry wavelets seems to be the electrophysiological mechanism of 
postoperative atrial fibrillation (35). In support of this amiodarone has been used with 
some success in prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation (51). 
Inflammation seems to play significant role in pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation 
after cardiac surgery. Cardiac surgery causes local and systemic inflammation, which 
has been shown to be associated with atrial fibrillation and facilitate re entry (52,53). 
Extracorporeal circulation is the main reason for systemic inflammatory response, and 
mediators of inflammation like leukocytosis and C-reactive protein (CRP) were found to 
be the independent predictor of atrial fibrillation (54,55). IL-6 is pro-inflammatory 
cytokine that is involved in the synthesis of acute phase proteins similar to such as 
CRP. In patients undergoing cardiac surgery the development of postoperative atrial 
fibrillation was related to increased levels of IL-6, and linked to polymorphisms in the 
promoter region of the IL-6 gene (56). Surgical trauma to the atria is associated with 
local inflammation, which explains why patients undergoing valvular surgery have the 
highest risk of developing atrial fibrillation (57,58). Because of this, less manipulation of 
the atria decreases local atrial inflammation, and subsequently, atrial fibrillation. 
Inflammation is involved in its initiation, and the arrhythmia itself generates an 
inflammatory response that results in persistence of atrial fibrillation (58). Inflammation 
also appears to directly alter atrial conduction properties (53). In animal studies atrial 
inflammation was associated with incidence and duration of atrial fibrillation (52), and 
inflammation changes distribution of connexin proteins, which have important role in 
intercellular communication linked to atrial fibrillation (59). Furthermore in support of 
these corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs like colchicine and statins were found to 
be effective on postoperative atrial fibrillation probably by decreasing inflammation 
(60,61,62).   
Prevention of Atrial Arrhythmias 
Treatment of atrial fibrillation is difficult, requires multiple treatment options and 
often results in interventions. Prevention is preferred especially in post cardiac surgery 
atrial fibrillations. Many studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different 
pharmacologic interventions to prevent or decrease the incidence of atrial fibrillation. 
Although some of these pharmacological interventions have been shown to decrease 
the incidence of atrial fibrillation with some success, there is still no accepted single 
preventive drug that does work for all patients. Long-term outcomes of these 
interventions for post cardiac surgery atrial fibrillation are also unknown. Furthermore, 
effect on hospital stay and its associated economic impact also remains controversial. 
Pharmacological agents used with some success are amiodarone, magnesium and 


 
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8
beta-blocker drugs. There are also some side effects of these interventions and they are 
not suitable for all patients.  
 
Delirium after Cardiac surgery 
Incidence and Clinical Impact 
The incidence and prevalence of delirium vary widely between different study 
populations. The reported incidence of postoperative delirium in a systemic review by 
Dyer et al. ranged from 0% to 73.5% (36). Ten to 30% of patients admitted to a general 
hospital develop delirium and a prevalence of up to 60% is recognized in elderly 
patients (64). Patients in intensive care units are especially at high risk of developing 
delirium. In a recent study in postoperative elderly patients an incidence of 43% was 
found (65). However, types of patients, the method of the study and the diagnostic 
criteria used, influence the incidence reported. Generally, an incidence of 25% is 
assumed among all hospitalized elderly patients (63).  
Patients who undergo cardiac surgery have an increased risk of developing 
delirium. In a recent study the incidence of delirium following cardiac surgery was found 
to be 21% and the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation could 
predict a postoperative delirium in patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery (66). 
In another study the incidence of delirium was 13.5% to 20%, higher in patients 60 
years and older (67). In a recent study, the prevalence of postoperative delirium was 
41.7% as diagnosed by the psychiatrist based on DSM-IV criteria (68). Two recent 
studies by Rudolph showed an incidence of delirium after cardiac surgery ranging 
between 42 and 50% (69,70). Developments in operative and anesthetic techniques 
have enabled older patients to undergo cardiac surgery. This may be an important 
cause of the increase in the frequency of delirium in the foreseeable future. 
Delirium is an important independent prognostic determinant of hospital 
outcomes including nursing home placement, functional decline, and death (35,36). 
Postoperative delirium increases postoperative complications and prolongs hospital 
stays (44-47). Even brief episodes of postoperative delirium can impact significantly on 
the patient’s ability to live independently after hospital discharge (48). In addition to 
functional decline and dementia, delirium is associated with increased mortality. 
Hospital mortality in patients with delirium has been estimated to be between 10% and 
65%(49). This is significantly higher than that in patients without delirium and can be 
compared with patients with perioperative myocardial infarction. Mortality after hospital 
discharge is also higher for those who had delirium, estimated to be 22–76% during the 
months following surgery (50).  In a prospective study of 921 patients age 65 or older 
who underwent surgery for hip fracture, Edelstein found that those who had 
postoperative delirium had a significantly longer mean length of hospitalization 
(P<0.001) and significantly higher rates of mortality at 1 year (odds ratio = 2.4; 95% CI 
1.1-4.9; P=0.02)(44). 
 
Pathophysiology and Mechanisms 
The fundamental pathophysiological mechanism of delirium remains unclear. The 
etiology of postoperative delirium seems to be multifactorial and includes pain (51-53), 


 
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sleep deprivation (54-59), surgical stress, anesthetic effects, concomitant medications 
(53-58) and the inflammatory response to surgery. Further supportive of an 
inflammatory etiology is Rudolph’s recent identification of atherosclerosis score as a 
significant risk factor for postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients (42). 
Dexmedetomidine has anti-inflammatory properties, decreases use of opioids and 
benzodiazepines that are blamed for delirium, and provides sedation very similar to 
natural sleep that can attenuate delirium seen after cardiac surgery. 
 
Renal Function and Dexmedetomidine 
Acute kidney injury and kidney problems are recognized complication of 
cardiovascular surgery and associated with high mortality and costs-of-care. The 
pathogenesis is multifactorial and involves hemodynamic, inflammatory and nephrotoxic 
components. (87) The effect of dexmedetomidine on the renal function has been 
inadequately studied. There are multiple mechanisms that dexmedetomidine can 
influence kidney functions;   
Effect on Blood Flow  
Cardiac surgery activates sympathetic nervous system; dexmedetomidine-
induced sympatholysis might attenuate harmful hemodynamic events resulting in 
prevention of acute kidney injury. In a small prospective study, administration of the 
alpha agonist clonidine at a rate of 4 micrograms/kg iv over a period of 15 min, 1h 
before induction of anesthesia preserved postoperative creatinine clearance in 
comparison to controls, where it reduced with 30 ml/min. (88) This may suggest a 
significant influence even when administered for a short time. A randomized controlled 
trial that compared the sedative effect of dexmedetomidine with propofol found higher 
urinary output without the need of high doses of diuretics. (89) In another small study 
(n=28) in thoracic surgery, dexmedetomidine infusion in addition to epidural analgesia 
suggested a beneficial effect on glomerular filtration measured by increased urinary 
output and preserved creatinine levels and higher creatinine clearance, whereas in 
controls there was a 21 % reduction of creatinine levels. (90). Conversely, 
dexmedetomidine could worsen kidney function via hypotension.  
In case series of CABG surgery patients, plasma BUN and creatinine levels did 
not increase on the postoperative period in the dexmedetomidine group in contrast to 
the control group. (91) A study in vascular surgery did not report any laboratory 
differences between the three target blood levels of dexmedetomidine, which may not 
suggest a dose effect, but renal function was not the main objective of the study. (92) A 
recent study in cardiac surgery patients determined no harmful effect but increase in 
urinary output suggesting beneficial effect (93).  
Cellular effects 
Ischemia-reperfusion injury is one of the most serious causes of acute renal 
failure. (94) In a recent animal model of ischemic kidney, the kidneys of untreated 
animals showed tubular cell swelling, cellular vacuolization, pyknotic nuclei, medullary 


 
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10
congestion, and moderate to severe necrosis. On the opposite treatment with 
dexmedetomidine showed normal glomeruli and only slight edema of the tubular cells. 
(95) 
Postoperative Cognitive Deficit and Dexmedetomidine 
Postoperative cognitive deficit (POCD) is an important and common complication 
of cardiac surgery with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. (95) In a study by 
Newman and colleagues a significant cognitive decline, defined as a 20% reduction 
from baseline, occurred in 53% of patients at discharge, 36% at 6 weeks, 24% at 6 
months, and 42% at 5 years. (96) Some other studies also report an incidence ranging 
from 8% to 40% (97). Cognitive impairment causes lower general health after cardiac 
surgery with important implications for future care of these patients undergoing cardiac 
surgery (98). Inflammation plays and important role in POCD. Cardiac surgery with or 
without Bypass causes an enormous release of inflammatory mediators to the 
circulation. The effect of dexmedetomidine on POCD has not been studied previously, 
although there are ongoing trials looking at the effect of dexmedetomidine on delirium 
but not on POCD. There are compelling reasons to believe that dexmedetomidine can 
prevent delirium and POCD after cardiac surgery. 
Chronic Pain-Cardiac Surgery and Dexmedetomidine 
A potential adverse outcome of surgery is the development of persistent 
postoperative incisional pain. Persistent postoperative pain is defined as incisional pain 
developing after a surgical procedure that lasts at least three months for which other 
causes (i.e., malignancy or chronic infection) have been excluded. (99) There are 
number of factors involved in this chronic pain formation, most importantly injury caused 
by surgery which produces intense pain signals. These signals are emitted from the 
peripheral nerves and tissues and sensitize the nociceptive pathways in the central 
nervous system (CNS)(100,101), which leads to restructuring and central sensitization 
in the CNS — which is then amplified by ongoing peripheral input. (102) Once 
established, persistent incisional pain is difficult to control or eliminate; pain persisting 
after surgery is likely to be permanent.  
Persistent postoperative pain is common; a number of retrospective and a few 
prospective studies have defined the incidence in certain surgical populations. The 
incidence of chronic chest wall, breast, or scar pain ranges from 11 to 57%; phantom 
breast pain is reported by 13–24% of mastectomy patients, while 12–51% report arm or 
shoulder pain. (103) The reported incidence of thoracotomy pain varies from 30 to 50% 
(104-106); however this is less well established after cardiac surgery. The prevalence of 
chronic pain reported after cardiac surgery varies from 11% to 61%. Taillefer et al (107) 
in a retrospective survey study determined that the incidence of non-anginal persistent 
postoperative pain affected 23% of patients after cardiac surgery. These reports 
demonstrate that cardiac surgery is associated with increased chronic pain. 
Why some patients develop persistent incisional pain remains unknown. But one 
theory is that severe acute pain, such as a scalpel blade cutting through skin, provokes 
activation of high-threshold peripheral sensory neurons which signal the presence, 
location, and intensity of the injury. Normally, peripheral sensory neuron activation fades 
once the stimulus is removed. Inflammatory pain is the heightened pain sensitivity that 


 
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occurs in response to tissue injury and inflammation and is termed peripheral 
sensitization. Peripheral sensitization results from the local action of inflammatory 
mediators, including prostanoids released from injured and inflammatory cells, on the 
peripheral terminals of high-threshold nociceptor sensory neurons. Inflammatory pain 
persists until the surgical wound has healed. If a focus of ongoing inflammation persists, 
so will the pain. But peripheral pain can also provoke central sensitization, which is an 
increase in the excitability of spinal neurons because of persistent nociceptive afferent 
input from peripheral neurons. It thus seems likely that good control of acute 
postoperative pain and inflammation by aggressive early pain management reduces the 
risk of persistent incisional pain by blunting central sensitization (100,101). 
Dexmedetomidine has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Anti-
inflammatory properties of dexmedetomidine have been previously described. 
Clonidine, an α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) agonist, has been widely used as an 
analgesic adjuvant in perioperative conditions and chronic pain therapy (108). 
Dexmedetomidine comes from same family of drugs with clonidine using the same 
receptors with different affinity. Intraoperative dexmedetomidine (bolus dose of 0.5-1 
µg/kg, with or without continuous infusion of 0.5-2 µg/kg per hour) causes a significant 
reduction in the need for both intraoperative and postoperative analgesics in adults 
(109) and in children (110). Although elimination half-life of dexmedetomidine is short 
(i.e., 2-3 hours), the analgesic-sparing effect observed after a preoperative or an 
intraoperative administration usually lasts up to 24 hours, with the anxiolytic and 
sedative properties implicated as being partly responsible for this effect (110,111). 
Dexmedetomidine when added to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia morphine 
improved postoperative analgesia and decreased postoperative morphine consumption 
by 30%, as well as decreasing morphine-induced side effects like nausea, without 
additional sedation (112). α2-AR agonists and opioids act by different mechanisms and 
thus their combination produces a synergistic analgesic effect without increasing the 
respiratory depression that is often associated with opioid use (108). 
Literature in regards to effect of dexmedetomidine on chronic postoperative pain 
does not exist. There are nonetheless good pathophysiological reasons to believe that 
dexmedetomidine will be effective in prevention of chronic pain. For example, 
dexmedetomidine can be effective on persistent postoperative pain formation either by 
decreasing inflammation which plays a crucial role in maintaining of peripheral 
sentisation and/or providing better acute pain control which is blamed as an important 
factor in chronic pain formation.     
Pharmaco-economics 
The impact of postoperative atrial fibrillation is significant from not only a clinical 
standpoint but from an economic standpoint.  The additional cost attributable to atrial 
fibrillation has not been well defined but is estimated between $10,000-$11,000 per 
patient in the US.  Considering current rates, the extra cost of postoperative atrial 
fibrillation for the US is conservatively estimated at around $2 billion per year.   
Increased length of stay is the greatest contributor to additional costs attributable 
to post operative atrial fibrillation.  The increased length of stay has been estimated 
around 4.9 days.  This additional length of stay is costly to patients but extremely costly 


 
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to hospitals. As the proportion of fixed payment patients including Medicare per hospital 
increases with time and the influx of baby boomers, the cost to hospitals will only 
increase. In addition, in line with Affordable Care Act, reimbursements for complications 
such as postoperative atrial fibrillation will be limited and therefore have further financial 
impacts for a hospital.    
One barrier to using dexmedetomidine in the postoperative period is that it is 
relatively expensive compared to other sedative drugs. However, the complications 
including atrial fibrillation associated with other cheaper sedative drugs are extremely 
costly.  The costs of using Dexmedetomidine for preventing atrial arrhythmias as 
compared to the cost of cheaper sedatives and the costs of treating the associated 
complications has not been addressed.  Therefore, assessing the cost-effectiveness of 
Dexmedetomidine needs to be investigated as well.  
 


 
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13
 
2. Study Objectives 
 
Our goal is to evaluate the effects of intraoperative and postoperative 
dexmedetomidine sedation (versus placebo) on a variety of important outcomes in 
patients recovering from cardiac surgery. Specifically, we will use dexmedetomine as a 
sedative in the FDA-approved dose, by the approved route, and in the approved 
population. The proposed research will have the following aims: 
 
Primary Aims; We will have two primary aims in current study.  
 
Primary Aim 1.To assess whether dexmedetomidine sedation decreases the incidence 
of atrial arrhythmias. 
Hypothesis. Our first primary hypothesis is that the incidence of new-onset atrial 
arrhythmia (any of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation) is reduced in patients given 
dexmedetomidine.  
Primary Aim 2. To assess whether dexmedetomidine sedation reduces postoperative 
delirium. 
Hypothesis. Our second primary hypothesis is that, in patients given dexmedetomidine, 
the incidence of delirium is reduced during the initial five postoperative days.  
 
Secondary Aims;  
 
Secondary Aim 1. To assess whether dexmedetomidine sedation reduces kidney 
injury.  
Hypothesis. Kidney function evaluated by RIFLE score is better preserved in patients 
given dexmedetomidine. 
Secondary Aim 2. To assess whether dexmedetomidine sedation reduces persistent 
incisional pain.  
Hypothesis. The incidence of incisional pain 3 months after cardiac surgery is reduced 
in patients given dexmedetomidine sedation.  
Specific Aim 3. To assess the cost-effectiveness of dexmedetomidine after cardiac 
surgery.  
Hypothesis. Dexmedetomidine reduces the cost of care.  


 
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14
 
3. Method 
We propose to assess atrial arrhythmias, delirium, kidney function, persistent 
pain, and health economics in patients having cardiac surgery who are randomly 
assigned to dexmedetomidine sedation or placebo.  
 
Type of Study 
This study is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial of 
dexmedetomidine sedation in adults having cardiac surgery.  The participating 
institutions are as follows: 
 Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 
 Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 
 Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 
 Florida Hospital Winter Park, Winter Park, Florida 
 University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland 
 University of California, Los Angeles, California 
 Flagler Hospital, St. Augustine, Florida 
 
Setting and Population 
Inclusion criteria:  
(1) 18-85 years old; 
(2) Scheduled for cardiac surgery with bypass  (CABG, valve, or combined); 
(3) Able to provide a written informed consent; 
(4) Hemodynamically stable (heart rate>= 50).  
 
Exclusion criteria:  
(1) Sick sinus syndrome or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome;   
(2) Atrio-ventricular block;  
(3)Hypersensitivity or known allergy to dexmedetomidine 
(4) Hepatic disease, e.g. twice the normal level of liver enzymes; 
(5) AF within 1 preoperative month; 
(6) Permanent pacemaker; 
(7) Use of amiodarone or dexmedetomidine within the last 30 days; 
(8) Patients with an ejection fraction under 30% or who had severe heart failure;  
(9) Myocardial infarction in the previous 7 days;  
(10) Body mass index >= 40 (BMI= mass (kg) / height (m)2);  
(11) Those taking clonidine within last 48 hours. 
Protocol 
Patients must meet all inclusion and exclusion criteria to be eligible for the study. 
After eligibility is confirmed, the patients will receive complete information about the 
study both verbally and in writing. Informed consent must be obtained from the patients 


 
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15
prior to randomization and study-specific procedures. Once all eligibility criteria are 
fulfilled (including informed consent), the patients may be randomized, and treatment 
allocation will be performed. Key baseline patients characteristics, as well as patient’s 
eligibility criteria, will be collected on case report forms. 
The anesthetic management will follow pre-established clinical and institutional 
guidelines. Patients will be premedicated, and induced per institution routine according 
to attending anesthesiologist discretion. Prophylactic antibiotics will be given per 
surgical routine. Patients will be randomly assigned to dexmedetomidine or placebo 
groups (normal saline administration matching dexmedetomidine rate of infusion) after 
they have met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and consented to the study. 
Randomization will be web-based and out of the control of any investigator.  
Dexmedetomidine infusion, without a bolus dose, (or a comparable volume of 
placebo) will be initiated before the surgical incision at a rate of 0.1 g/kg/hr; at the end 
of bypass, the dose will be increased to 0.2 g/kg/hr. However, the anesthesiologists 
may modify the dose as clinically indicated based on hemodynamic and other 
physiologic responses. Patients with hypotension will be treated first with vasopressors 
and fluids according to clinical standards; if not responding the dose of the study 
medication will be adjusted at the discretion of the anesthesiologist.   
Intraoperative opioids and benzodiazepines will be left to discretion of the 
anesthesiologist. Additional midazolam and opioids will be titrated to facilitate 
extubation. In patients who remain intubated, anesthesia will be further supplemented 
with fentanyl or any other opioid of choice. 
Postoperatively, patients will continue to receive the study medication at a rate of 
0.4 g/kg/h,. Adjustments in the study medication and in the administration of other 
rescue sedative and analgesic agents will be made according to standard cardiac 
intensive care unit sedation and analgesia protocols. This may involve propofol, opioids 
and benzodiazepines according to attending ICU staff physician discretion. The study 
medication infusion will be continued for a total of 24 hours from the initial administration 
time intra-operatively. Use of prophylactic amiodarone after surgery is not 
accepted. 
Measurements 
Clinical evaluators for the outcomes will be blinded to group allocation and 
clinical research fellows not involved in evaluations will prepare the study drugs. 
 
Demographic data to be obtained includes height (cm), weight (kg), age (yr), 
gender, (ASA) physical status, and self-declared ethnicity. Patients will be questioned 
for social history (tobacco) and medical history (pulmonary disease, kidney disease, 
diabetes mellitus, neurological disease, chronic pain conditions, illegal drug usage, 
alcohol abuse, myocardial infarction, and previous surgery or stent placement.  
Available preoperative laboratory tests and current medications (according to 


 
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16
classes) will be recorded. Data obtained from medical records will include following but 
not limited to; euroscore, operation time, perfusion time, number of grafts, anesthesia 
induction agents, operating room returns, ICU readmissions, length of ICU stay, time to 
extubation and re-intubations, will be recorded.  
Baseline RIFLE, creatinine and AKIN scores will be determined. Pain 
catastrophizing scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and SF 12 will also be completed before 
surgery.  
Primary Aims 
Primary Aim 1; 
New onset atrial arrhythmia:  
Patients in cardiac ICU (CICU) will have continuous electrocardiogram 
monitoring with both electronic and clinical diagnosis of atrial arrhythmias. Diagnosis of 
atrial arrhythmias will be made by clinicians in ICU and recorded. Upon discharge from 
the CICU, twelve-lead electrocardiograms will be recorded morning and evening until 
the earlier of hospital discharge or five days in unmonitored patients. A cardiologist or 
anesthesiologist blinded to randomized group allocations will identify types of atrial 
arrhythmias in each ECG. Presence of the following arrhythmias will be recorded, and 
the primary outcome is defined as the presence of any of these in a patient (versus 
none) from ICU admission to hospital discharge or 5 days, whichever occurs first: 
Atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation will be defined by: 1) clinician diagnosis; 
2) documented arrhythmia lasting at least 5 minutes; or, 3) presence of either 
arrhythmia on ECGs in unmonitored patients.   
For the evaluation of dexmedetomidine following hemodynamic parameters will 
be collected and evaluated; Intra-postoperative period will be evaluated for 
hemodynamic changes every 15 minutes heart rate, blood pressure, and the following 
parameters will be noted as significant hemodynamic changes, treatments (total 
vasopressor, anti-hypertensive, opioid, anesthetic, blood and FFP transfusion, total 
colloid and crystalloid use) will be recorded intra-postoperatively. Requirement of intra-
aortic balloon pump, low cardiac output, open chest, permanent pacemaker, heart block 
or cardio version will also be recorded. 
All other complications seen in intraoperative or postoperative period will be 
recorded from medical records. These will include but not limited to; fungemia, 
bacteremia, sepsis, septic shock, empyema, endocarditis, mediastinitis, sternal wound 
infections, pneumonia, ARDS, atelectasis, respiratory failure, ileus, pancreatitis, multiple 
organ failure and mortality. 
Preoperative and postoperative cardiac enzymes (troponin, BNP, CK M) will be 
recorded from available medical records and compared.  


 
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Primary Aim 2 
 Postoperative delirium;   
Our second primary outcome will be presence of delirium at any time point within 
the earlier of hospital discharge and 5 days after surgery, as determined by CAM-ICU.  
Delirium will be assessed with the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale to 
assess the level of possible sedation, and the Confusion Assessment Method for the 
ICU. The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) is a validated, commonly 
used scale assessing sedation depth (113,114). Measurements will be made twice daily 
by research assistants. The evening assessment will be made after 5 PM.   
The delirium assessment will start with the Richmond Agitation and Sedation 
Scale to assess the level of possible sedation, followed by the Confusion Assessment 
Method for the ICU. The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) is a validated, 
commonly used scale assessing sedation depth. (113,114) 
The Confusion Assessment Method is a validated and reliable tool for diagnosing 
delirium. (115) It demonstrates sensitivity and specificity in excess of 90% compared to 
a psychiatrist-rated diagnosis of delirium as well as excellent reliability between clinician 
raters. A study by Zou et al. showed that, compared with the Confusion Assessment 
Method and multiple observation points, clinical diagnosis by a psychiatrist had a lower 
sensitivity (89% versus 73%) and specificity (100% versus 93%). (116) Systematic 
assessment of delirium using validated rating scales has therefore been regularly 
advised.  
The Confusion Assessment Method is considered the best diagnostic tool. It is 
the most widely used and studied tool. The CAM-ICU incorporates the same 4 key 
features of the current DSM-IV-TR criteria for the diagnosis of postoperative delirium. 
(115) The 4 features are cardinal elements of the DSM criteria for delirium: 
1. Acute onset of mental status changes or fluctuating course 
2. Inattention 
3. Disorganized thinking 
4. Altered level of consciousness 
Delirium is diagnosed when both Features 1 and 2 are positive, along with either 
Features 3 or 4. See Appendix 1 for the complete CAM-ICU. 
In 2007, an international group of anesthetists and neuropsychologists formed an 
advisory board to create a new quality of recovery scale. It is called the Postoperative 
Quality Recovery Scale (PQRS). Six domains of recovery are identified: physiological, 
nociceptive (pain and nausea), emotive (anxiety and depression), functional recovery 
(return of activities of daily living), self assessed recovery, and cognitive recovery. The 
scale is completed prior to surgery to provide baseline values, and then repeated after 
surgery. The conduct of the test takes approximately 5 to 10 min on each occasion. 
Whilst in hospital, the scale is conducted via faced-to-face interview. The PQRS will be 
conducted at baseline (at time of recruitment), in hospital will be repeated at days 3 and 
before discharge. 


 
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Secondary Aims 
 
Secondary Aim 1; 
Kidney function 
Primary outcome for kidney function will be change overtime in RIFLE 
classifications from baseline to discharge. Kidney function will be evaluated at baseline 
prior to surgery, and daily if biochemical tests are done by using RIFLE and AKIN 
classifications (117).  BUN and creatinine values will also be recorded daily if available. 
If more than one value was obtained, the highest will be recorded. Renal complications 
such as anuria and dialysis will be recorded. 
Figure 1. Rifle Criteria. 
 
Secondary Aim 2; 
          Postoperative pain  
 
Primary pain outcome: persistent chronic pain will be presence of persistent 
incisional pain (i.e., any pain) at 3 months after surgery. Patients will be evaluated 
postoperatively by phone at 3 months for quality of life using SF-12 Health Survey (SF-
12), and evaluated for persistent incisional pain (yes/no). If the patient indicates any 
incisional pain they will be asked to rate their pain using a numeric rating pain scale (0-
10).  
 
Secondary chronic pain outcomes will include,the modified brief pain inventory (BPI), 
Sleep Interference scale and the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire Short Form (NPQ-
SM), evaluated at 3 months after surgery.  
The BPI is a practical method of evaluating pain severity and its impact on patient 
function. The Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire, a clinical tool with the ability to 
differentiate neuropathic from other types of pain.(119,120) The Sleep Interference 


 
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19
scale will describe how the pain will interfere with the patient’s sleep during the previous 
24 hours.  
Acute pain and early opioid consumption. The total amount of opioid administration 
during surgery, and for the first 3 postoperative days will be recorded. Pain scores will 
be evaluated for the first 5 postoperative days.  Besides assessing the effects of 
dexmedetomidine on acute pain score and opioid consumption, we will also correlate 
these measures with chronic persistent pain. 
 
 
Specific Aim 3; 
Cost-effectiveness of Dexmedetomidine after cardiac surgery  
Billing data for all patients will be collected. These will include billing data of 
patients receiving dexmedetomidine and those not receiving the medication. 
Additionally, the billing data of those within each treatment group with and without atrial 
fibrillation will be compared.  This data will enable the costs directly attributable to the 
use of Dexmedetomidine to be compared.  To further validate the results, clinical 
outcomes including LOS (ICU and floor), discharge destination, QOL from the SF12 and 
mortality will be collected and valued in line with Medicare reimbursement rates and 
societies willingness to pay for a quality adjusted life year (QALY) (125). 
Limitations  
A limitation of the current study design relates to the arbitrarily chosen dose of 
the dexmedetomidine. However, the dose we have selected according to the most 
preferred regimens used in the literature and also in preliminary studies. Furthermore, 
surgical and anesthesia team are very worried with side effects related to 
dexmedetomidine due to hemodynamic effects. While research personnel blinded to 
group assignments will collect intra-post operative data, they may recognize the 
randomized drug due to prominent hemodynamic effects. We will ensure the blindness 
of the research personnel who will be doing the follow-ups by not getting them involved 
with other parts of the study. 
Data Analysis 
Randomized groups will be compared for balance on all potentially confounding 
baseline variables using descriptive statistics and the standardized difference, which is 
the difference in means or proportions divided by the pooled standard deviation.  
Criterion for balance will be an absolute standardized difference less than sqrt(2/n), 
where n is the number of patents per group.(126) Any imbalanced baseline variables 
will be adjusted for in all analyses below. Data transformations will be made or non-
parametric analyses used to meet model assumptions, as appropriate. Analyses will be 
intent to treat, with a significance level of 0.05 for each hypothesis.  
 
Specific Primary Aim 1. New onset atrial arrhythmia. We will assess the relative 
efficacy of dexmedetomidine to placebo on incidence of any new onset atrial arrhythmia 
(the primary outcome, as defined above) using either Pearson chi-square test or logistic 


 
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regression if there is a need to adjust for baseline imbalance in potentially confounding 
variables.  In either case, the relative risk of developing any arrhythmia during the 
follow-up period and its 95% confidence interval will be estimated. 
Specific Primary Aim 2. Delirium. We will compare the randomized groups on the 
presence of delirium detected at any time before hospital discharge as determined by 
CAM-ICU using either Pearson chi-square test or else logistic regression if there is a 
need to adjust for any baseline imbalance in potentially confounding variables.  In either 
case, the relative risk of developing delirium and its 95% confidence interval will be 
estimated. 
 
Specific Secondary Aim 1. Kidney function. We will compare the randomized groups 
on the change in RIFLE classification from baseline to hospital discharge using a 
generalized linear mixed effects model with random slope over time and using a 
cumulative logit link function to model the ordinal nature of the RIFLE data. In essence 
we will compare the randomized groups on the mean slope over time in kidney function 
status as measured by the RIFLE classification while adjusting for baseline RIFLE 
classification as a covariate, along with any baseline imbalanced variables.    
 
Specific Secondary Aim 2. Persistent incisional pain.  We will compare the 
randomized groups on presence of persistent incisional pain (i.e., any pain) at 3 months 
after surgery using either Pearson chi-square test or else logistic regression if there is a 
need to adjust for any baseline imbalance in potentially confounding variables.  In either 
case, the relative risk of having persistent incisional pain and its 95% confidence 
interval will be estimated.   
 
Randomized groups will further be compared on the secondary chronic pain 
outcomes using either t-tests or analysis of covariance to adjust for imbalanced baseline 
variables.   
 
Specific Secondary Aim 3.  
A decision analytic model will be built using TreeAge to compare the cost-
effectiveness of Dexmedetomidine in cardiac surgery as compared to existing practice.  
The model will be developed from two perspectives; the payer perspective and the 
societal perspective.  The payer perspective model will include all costs (positive and 
negative) with an impact to the payer.  The model will include the entire study 
population and be extrapolated to hospital level and US population level.  The model will 
also incorporate 5 year time horizon changes to reflect the changes in the population 
and payer mix due to the increasing number of Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare 
changes with the Affordability Care Act.   
The societal perspective model will include all costs (positive and negative) with 
an impact to society.  This model will use parameters including discharge destination, 
QOL and mortality.  This model will also include the entire study population and be 
extrapolated to the hospital level, US population level and forecast for a 5-year time 
horizon.  Sensitivity analysis on both models will be performed to ensure robustness of 
the results to changes within the model parameters.   


 
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Interim analyses.  At each 17% of the maximum enrollment of N=965 patients, 
an interim analysis will be conducted in which we assess for efficacy and futility of 
dexmedetomidine versus placebo on each of the outcomes in Aims 1-4.  However, 
decision making to stop or continue the trial will be based on the primary outcome in 
Aim 1.  We will use the gamma spending function (129) with parameters -3 and -1 for 
alpha (efficacy) and beta (futility), respectively. 
SAS statistical software, Cary, NC, and East interim monitoring software, Cytel 
Inc, will be used for all analyses. 
 
 
Sample Size Considerations.  Sample size is based on the primary outcome in 
Aim 1, atrial arrhythmia. According to previous reports and our own cardiac registry data 
we expect approximately 30% of the patients having CABG and 40% of the patients 
having valvular surgery to develop an atrial arrhythmia. We therefore assume an 
incidence of approximately 0.35 in the control group for calculating a sample size for 
Aim 1.  Based on our preliminary study we expect a 30% relative reduction in the 
percent of patients developing atrial arrhythmias with dexmedetomidine infusion. With a 
maximum sample size of N=965 patients we will have 90% power at the 0.05 
significance level to detect a relative risk of 0.70 or stronger given a control group 
incidence of 0.35. The expected sample size following the above-specified group 
sequential design with 6 interim analyses is N=591 patients.   
 
Table 1 below gives the P-value boundaries under the null (H0) and alternative 
(H1) hypotheses in columns 5 and 6.  The last 3 columns give the boundary crossing 
probabilities.  For example, if the specified treatment effect is the true treatment effect in 
the population sampled, the probabilities of crossing either and efficacy or futility 
boundary are listed in the column “Under H1”, and would be a cumulative 6%, 21%, 
46%, 71%, 89% and 100% for interim analyses 1 through 6, corresponding to total N of 
328, 483, 644, 805 and 965.  In other words, there is a very large probability of crossing 
a boundary and thus stopping the trial before the maximum sample size, and 71% 
chance by N=644.  If either the treatment effect of the incidence of atrial arrhythmias are 
larger than planned, the probability of crossing an earlier boundary will increase 
accordingly. 
Table 1.  P-value boundaries and boundary-crossing probabilities 
Information 
Fraction 
Cumulative 
Accrual 
Alpha Spent 
Beta Spent 
P-value Boundaries 
Boundary Crossing Probabilities 
H0 
H1 
Under H0 
Under H1 
Under H1/2 
0.167 
161 
0.002 
0.011 
0.0017 
0.9703 
0.031 
0.055 
0.031 
0.333 
328 
0.005 
0.023 
0.0032 
0.8978 
0.101 
0.158 
0.081 
0.5 
483 
0.009 
0.038 
0.0061 
0.661 
0.278 
0.243 
0.178 
0.667 
644 
0.017 
0.055 
0.0114 
0.3117 
0.334 
0.249 
0.242 
0.833 
805 
0.029 
0.076 
0.0211 
0.1232 
0.178 
0.189 
0.246 
1 
965 
0.05 
0.1 
0.0383 
0.0383 
0.078 
0.105 
0.221 
 


 
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APPENDIX 1 
CAM-ICU Worksheet 
 
 
copyright 2002, E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH and Vanderbilt University, all rights reserved. 
 
 
 
 
 


 
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