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Dexmedetomidine in Reducing Postoperative Delirium in Cardiac Surgery Patients

Dexmedetomidine in Reducing Postoperative Delirium in Cardiac Surgery Patients:a Single-center, Double- Blind, Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06619912
Acronym
DREAMS
Enrollment
686
Registered
2024-10-01
Start date
2025-03-03
Completion date
2026-09-08
Last updated
2026-09-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Postoperative Delirium, Preoperative Sleep Disorder

Keywords

postoperative delirium, preoperative sleep disorder, dexmedetomidine, cardiopulmonary coupling

Brief summary

Delirium is a common consequence of cardiac surgery and associates with poor outcomes. Multiple causes can trigger delirium occurence, and it has been hypothesised that sleep disturbances can be one of them. Dexmedetomidine may be effective in reducing delirium. The aim of this study was to demonstrate preoperative dexmedetomidine nasal spray in cardiac surgery patients can reduce postoperative delirium by improving preoperative sleep.

Detailed description

Due to special reasons such as surgical trauma, irritability, extracorporeal circulation, the incidence of postoperative delirium (POD) after cardiovascular surgery ranges from 26% to 52%. POD is an acute organic brain syndrome characterised by cognitive impairment and alteration of consciousness. The implications of this acute form of brain injury are profound. Patients who experience delirium are more likely to experience increased short- and long-term mortality, decrease in long-term cognitive function, increase in hospital length of stay and increased complications of hospital care. Given the numerous adverse effects of POD, it is crucial to explore the mechanisms for the prevention and management of POD. Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is a highly selective α 2-adrenergic receptor agonist that produces sedative and hypnotic effects by activating the α 2-adrenergic receptor in the brainstem locus coeruleus, and has a certain neuroprotective effect. In recent years, the prevention of postoperative delirium by Dex has been a hot topic in the field of anesthesia. However, recent studies have found contradictory conclusions on aforementioned topic. The heterogeneity of the subject population may be the reason for the current contradictory conclusions. Tang et al. conducted a meta-analysis of all RCTs regarding perioperative sleep interventions and postoperative delirium, and found that in the subgroup where interventions effectively improved patients' sleep quality, the effect of reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium was more significant. At the same time, the incidence of delirium did not decrease in the subgroup where sleep quality was not improved. Sleep disorders play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of POD. In this DREAMS study, we plan to conduct a single center double-blind randomized controlled trial involving patients undergoing extracorporeal circulation cardiac surgery to explore whether administering Dex nasal spray the night before surgery and 30 minutes before anesthesia induction can improve preoperative sleep quality and reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium.

Interventions

Participants will be randomised to receive either dexmedetomidine or saline nasal spray (1.5ug/kg, ideal body weight) at the night before surgery and 30 minutes before induction.

Sponsors

Xijing Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Aged 18 years or older. 2. Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. 3. Ability to provide consent.

Exclusion criteria

1. Preoperative schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, history of neurosurgery, or Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE) score: illiteracy\<17, primary school level\<20, high school level \<24. 2. Patients with sick sinus syndrome, severe sinus bradycardia (heart rate\<50 beats/minute), grade II or above atrioventricular block, and no pacemaker implanted. 3. Unable to communicate due to coma, severe dementia, or language barriers prior to surgery. 4. Patients with severe liver dysfunction (Child Pugh C grade), renal dysfunction (preoperative dialysis), ASA grade V or expected survival ≤ 24 hours. 5. Heart transplant surgery 6. Surgery for congenital heart disease. 7. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest surgery. 8. Already enrolled in other study patients. 9. Refuse to participate.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative delirium occurrencewithin 1 week after operationDelirium occurrence was evaluated with confusion assessment method for the ICU(CAM- ICU) or 3-Minute Confusion Assessment Method (3D-CAM) two times per day during the 7 days following surgery.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Delirium severity measurement1week after surgeryDelirium severity is assessed using Confusion Assessment Method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU)-7, score 3-5 is considered as mild to moderate delirium, score 6-7 is considered as severe delirium
Delirium subtypes1week after surgeryHyperactive POD was defined as a RASS score of +1 to +4 accompanying a positive CAM-ICU/3D-CAM, hypoactive POD was defined as a RASS score of -3 to 0 accompanying a positive CAM-ICU/3D-CAM, mixed POD was defined by simultaneous or sequential exhibition of hypoactive and hyperactive manifestationscare unit (CAM-ICU)-7, score 3-5 is considered as mild to moderate delirium, score 6-7 is considered as severe delirium
Duration of delirium1week after surgeryDuration of delirium is assessed using Confusion Assessment Method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU) or 3-Minute Confusion Assessment Method (3D-CAM)
Hospital length of stay.From the date of surgery until the date patient discharge from hospital, assessed up to 30 days]Hospital length of stay.
In- hospital mortalityFrom the date of surgery until the date patient discharge from hospital, assessed up to 30 days]In- hospital mortality
NRS score of sleep during the first night after surgeryThe first night after surgeryNRS score of sleep during the first night after surgery
Postoperative anxiety and depression1week after surgeryPostoperative anxiety and depression are assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
Pain intensity1week after surgery1\) Pain intensity is assessed using the NRS at rest and during movement daily for 7 postoperative days

Countries

China

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORChong Lei, M.D., phd

Xijing Hospital

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 12, 2026