Alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists and sepsis: improved survival?

Excerpt

Dr Pandharipande and colleagues should be commended for segregating the effect of dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist, in sepsis [1]. However, three questions arise from their study: what are the P- values for the data reported in Table 1? Why was there such a discrepancy between the fentanyl dose given to patients on dexmedetomidine and those on lorazepam (1,114 versus 117 μg/day, P = 0.01) considering the 50 to 80% reduction in the use of opiates commonly observed in the literature when alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists are administered? And how many days did the patients spend on spontaneous (for example, pressure support) versus controlled/assisted ventilation? …