Cardiothoracic & vascular anesthesia
Dexmedetomidine for delirium prevention after cardiac surgery: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis
Pooled result · Delirium incidenceResult — go to the resultRelative risk 0.61 95% CI 0.49–0.75Authors' conclusion
Dexmedetomidine significantly reduces postoperative delirium following cardiac surgery, with moderate evidence confirmed by TSA.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (≥18 years) undergoing cardiac surgery
- Participants
- 5,628 adults · 31 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
- Comparison
- Dexmedetomidine vs placebo or other treatments
- Outcome
- Postoperative delirium incidence
Methodological detailstrial sequential analysis, sensitivity and subgroup analyses
- Trial sequential analysis
- Sensitivity and subgroup analyses
Pooled result
Delirium incidence
Relative risk
0.61
95% CI 0.49–0.75
P < 0.001
DEX vs Control
RR 0.61 (95% CI 0.49–0.75); P < 0.001
As reported in the abstract
Further pooled results
| Outcome | MD (days) (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICU LOS | −0.14 (−1.28 to −0.04) | P < 0.01 | |
| −2−101Difference, days (linear scale) |
Delirium, subgroups (age, control type, assessment method) and excluding high risk of bias trials
- Protective effect remained across subgroup analyses and after excluding high risk of bias trials
Mortality, intubation duration, hospital LOS
- No significant differences
Safety
| Outcome | RR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradycardia | 1.53 (1.05–2.21) | P = 0.02 | |
| 0.512Relative risk (log scale) |
AF, hypotension
- No significant differences
Original publication
Dexmedetomidine for delirium prevention after cardiac surgery: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med. Published 24 June 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →