Conditions: Endotracheal Intubation Continuous IV Sedation ICP Monitoring
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 89
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of using dexmedetomidine (Precedex) in addition to the current standard-of-care for sedation.

Detailed description:
Primarily, this study seeks to explore whether there is a difference in mean arterial pressure (MAP) variability, incidence of intracranial hypertension, intracranial pressure (ICP) variability, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and Cerebrovascular pressure reactivity index (PRx) in two groups of subjects.

Patients must be submitted to the ICU and be endotracheally intubated and receiving mechanical ventilation with continuous IV sedation for less than 24 hours after recruitment into the study.

Arms:
arm 1: Subjects who are treated with dexmedetomidine (Precedex) in addition to the standard of care sedation regiment. arm 2: Subjects who are treated with the standard of care sedation regiment only.

Interventions: intervention 1: Standard-of-Care plus Dexmedetomidine intervention 2: Standard-of-Care
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Subjects who are treated with dexmedetomidine (Precedex) in addition to the standard of care sedation regiment intervention 2: Subjects who are treated with the standard of care sedation regiment only.

Protocol document: