Precedex has a mechanism of action different from that of other IV sedatives, and the sedative profile may differ from that of other IV sedatives you may be more accustomed to using.1

• In pivotal clinical trials, patients were titrated to achieve an equivalent level of sedation using Precedex alone or in combination with midazolam, propofol, morphine or fentanyl.1-4
• All patients were titrated to achieve either a Ramsay sedation score ≥3 or an OAA/S score ≤4. However, when stimulated, some patients were reported as arousable and alert.1
• Clinicians and caregivers should understand that the ability of patients to be awakened while sedated with Precedex should not be considered as evidence of a lack of efficacy in the absence of other clinical signs and symptoms.1

The decision to administer additional analgesics or sedative medications should not be based solely on the ability to arouse a patient sedated with Precedex. The additive pharmacodynamic effects of sedative/hypnotic agents with opioid analgesics may produce unwanted side effects.1

Question the patient prior to administration of additional medications to assess accurately the status of the patient before determining the need for additional analgesics or sedative medications.

Presented by:

• Christopher Young, MD, Chief of Critical Care Medicine (Department of Anesthesiology) at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
• Dan Herr, MD, an Intensivist at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC.