L B Straw1, C R Dodson2, D S Schrift3. 1. College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA. 2. Palmetto Health Richland, Department of Pharmacy, Columbia, SC, USA. 3. Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, Palmetto Health Richland Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA.
Abstract
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 agonist used for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 41-year-old woman intubated in the ICU and being treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) received dexmedetomidine following successful extubation to treat increasing agitation thought to be secondary to a history of polysubstance abuse. Following initiation of the dexmedetomidine, the patient became febrile as well as increasingly more agitated and delirious. All potential fever or delirium causes were evaluated. Following discontinuation of dexmedetomidine, her fever, agitation and delirium ceased. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: We depict the first known case of dexmedetomidine causing high fevers and delirium.
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE:Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 agonist used for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 41-year-old woman intubated in the ICU and being treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) received dexmedetomidine following successful extubation to treat increasing agitation thought to be secondary to a history of polysubstance abuse. Following initiation of the dexmedetomidine, the patient became febrile as well as increasingly more agitated and delirious. All potential fever or delirium causes were evaluated. Following discontinuation of dexmedetomidine, her fever, agitation and delirium ceased. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: We depict the first known case of dexmedetomidine causing high fevers and delirium.
Authors: Felipe Aparecido Ferreira da Cruz; Luiz Fernando Dos Reis Falcão; José Luiz Gomes do Amaral; Helga Cristina Almeida da Silva Journal: Braz J Anesthesiol Date: 2021-06-29