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PURPOSE: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is commonly treated in medical ICUs and typically requires high resource utilization. Dexmedetomidine for AWS has not been extensively investigated, and guidelines regarding its use are lacking. We evaluated the association between dexmedetomidine use in AWS and ICU length of stay (LOS). METHODS: We performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients in the ICU with the primary diagnosis of AWS. ICU LOS of those treated with benzodiazepines alone vs. benzodiazepines plus dexmedetomidine was compared. Negative binomial regression was performed to test whether dexmedetomidine use was associated with increased ICU LOS after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, and the time between hospital and ICU admission. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-eight patients from eight institutions were included. Patients treated with benzodiazepines plus dexmedetomidine had higher Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol scores at ICU admission, spent longer on the medical wards prior to ICU admission, and had longer unadjusted ICU LOS (p < 0.0001). After covariate adjustment, dexmedetomidine remained associated with longer ICU LOS (relative mean to non-dexmedetomidine group 2.14, 95% CI 1.78-2.57, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to benzodiazepines alone, dexmedetomidine for the treatment of AWS was associated with increased ICU LOS. These results provide evidence that dexmedetomidine may increase resource utilization.
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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it remains unclear if patients with OSA carry a higher risk of recurrent AF after successful catheter ablation. This meta-analysis was conducted (1) to evaluate the association between OSA and recurrent AF after catheter ablation, and (2) to assess the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the risk of recurrent AF in patients with OSA. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases from inception through July 2017 to identify studies that evaluated the risk of recurrent AF after successful catheter ablation in patients with OSA were included. Effect estimates from the individual study were extracted and combined using random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. RESULTS: Seven observational studies with a total of 4572 patients AF after successful catheter ablation were enrolled. Compared to patients without OSA, the pooled OR of recurrent AF in patients with OSA was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.40-2.06, I2 = 0). Among OSA patients with AF after successful catheter ablation, the use of CPAP was significantly associated with decreased risk of recurrent AF with pooled OR of 0.28 (0.19-0.40, I2 = 0). Egger's regression asymmetry test was performed and showed no publication bias for the associations of OSA and CPAP with recurrent AF. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggested a significant association between OSA and recurrent AF after catheter ablation. The use of CPAP in patients with OSA is associated with reduced risk of recurrent AF after catheter ablation.
