Evaluation of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjunct to Phenobarbital for Alcohol Withdrawal in Critically Ill Patients

Introduction Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is commonly used with benzodiazepines for the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), but limited data exist regarding its use with phenobarbital (PHB). This analysis evaluated the utility of DEX in addition to PHB for AWS in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods This was a single-center, retrospective cohort analysis of critically ill adult patients who received PHB plus either DEX or different adjunctive therapies (NO-DEX) for AWS between 2018 and 2021. Patients were excluded if they had underlying altered mental status or seizure disorder unrelated to AWS or received PHB at outside hospitals. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) was performed to match patients on baseline characteristics in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was ICU length of stay (LOS). A multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of DEX on ICU LOS when accounting for confounders. Secondary outcomes included days with delirium and incidence of mechanical ventilation after PHB administration. Results Of the 606 encounters evaluated, 197 met criteria for inclusion. After CEM, 56 encounters remained in each group for analysis. The median ICU LOS was 97.2 [50.1:139.5] hours for the DEX group and 47.5 [28.8:88.1] hours for the NO-DEX group (P = .002). The multivariate linear regression analysis showed the use of DEX (P = .008) was independently associated with an increased ICU LOS by 49.8 h. The DEX group had higher rates of total delirium days (208 vs 143 days, P < .001) and a higher incidence of mechanical ventilation after PHB administration (32% vs 9%, P < .001). Conclusion This analysis suggests the use of adjunctive DEX with PHB for AWS was associated with a prolonged ICU LOS. Additional studies are needed to further understand the role of adjunctive DEX in the treatment of AWS in critically ill patients.