AACN Greater Tulsa Area Chapter

This week I’m attending the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) conference and have attended some awesome presentations! Hot off the press...a blinded, r...andomized controlled trial called MENDS2 evaluated Propofol vs. Dexmedotomidine as a sedative agent in critically ill patients with sepsis. All 13 ICUs participating had to target light sedation & implement or have a protocol incorporating the ABCDEF bundle. This study wrapped up pre-COVID, so keep that in mind. Which one led to more days alive without coma, ventilator-free days, delirium free days or mortality? The answer is: it’s a tie! There were no statistical differences between Propofol & Dexmedotomidine! They also evaluated cognitive status at 6 months via phone interview and again found no statistical differences. One of the things that surprised me was there were also no statistical differences in symptomatic bradycardia & hypotension! Nice work by Hughes et al NEJM 2021; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2024922