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Providing "Good Sleep" for ICU Sedation
Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
Summary
Cognitive dysfunction, either alone or as an element in the syndrome of delirium, is a common occurrence with an incidence as high as 75% in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and can independently result in serious consequences including higher mortality rate. Delirium develops through a complex interaction between the patient's baseline vulnerability (risk factors) and precipitating factors such as disruption of sleep that may occur during hospitalization. While sedative-hypnotic agents that are used to facilitate hypnosis and the management of mechanically ventilated patients converge on the neural substrate that mediate endogenous sleep, they do so at different juncture points depending on its molecular mechanism of hypnotic action. Hypnotic agents that modulate the GABAA receptor converge at the level of the hypothalamus while α2 adrenergic agonists converge on sleep pathways within the brainstem. This translational project seeks to determine whether sedation mediated by activation of α2 adrenoceptors (dexmedetomidine) is more like natural sleep than that provided by a sedative agent that modulates the GABAA receptor (propofol). The investigators will examine volunteers who will be monitored continuously by electroencephalography (EEG) and whole-brain functional connectivity by magnetoencephalography (MEG) during each of three sleep stages, namely, that induced by dexmedetomidine, propofol, or saline (natural sleep, control). The two drug-induced sleep regimens will be compared to natural sleep using EEG and brain connectivity by MEG
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 45 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
3
Start Date
2012-05
Completion Date
2012-11-01
Last Updated
2026-06-05
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Normal saline infusion
Normal saline infusion
Dexmedetomidine
Infusion of Dexmedetomidine will be administrated during the overnight sleep study. An initial target concentration of 0.25 ng/ml will be selected. After 5 min, the sedative point will be assessed and the concentration will be adjusted stepwise by increments and decrements of 0.05 ng/ml. This process will be repeated until the target sedative state is achieved. Using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) infusion rates, using known pharmacokinetic parameters will be adjusted to achieve equivalent levels of sedation (RASS -3) for both DEX and propofol sessions. We aim to achieve an RASS of -3 so that the subjects are "moderately sedated". This state of sedation will be maintained for 3-4 hours.
Propofol
For propofol, an initial concentration of 0.75 ng/ml will be targeted. Depending on the score achieved, the infusion rate will be increased or decreased every 5 min by 0.2 ng/ml until the target sedative state is achieved. Note that the target sedative state (RASS score of -3) is the same for both DEX and propofol sessions, with the investigator being unaware of which drug is being administered. To ensure the investigator is not aware of the type of drug being administered, all drug delivery systems will be covered. Intravenous drug delivery will be continued throughout the scanning period for 3-4 hours to maintain equivalent levels of sedation for both DEX and propofol.
Locations (1)
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States