Fig 1.
Dexmedetomidine suppresses the shiver threshold through moderate sedation, no shivering and improved comfort.
Compared to saline infusion (circles), dexmedetomidine infusion allowed a more prolonged reduction in core temperature (A), with moderate sedation (B), no shivering (C), and slight improvement in comfort (D). Figures depict mean with SD of temperature, median with range for sedation, and median with interquartile range for shivering and comfort scales.
Fig 2.
Dexmedetomidine infusion lowered SBP (A) and heart rate (B).
In (A) systolic blood pressure is depicted in solid lines and symbols, while diastolic blood pressure is depicted in gray lines and symbols. End-tidal CO2 did not differ between groups (C). Pulse oximetry determined SpO2 was lower with dexmedetomidine, though the magnitude of the reduction was not clinically important (D). Figures depict mean with SD for blood pressure, heart rate and end tidal CO2. Median and range for SpO2 is depicted.
Fig 3.
Dexmedetomidine plasma levels after bolus administration.
Dexmedetomidine plasma levels in individual subjects (A), and mean with SEM levels for the entire group (B). After the 1 μg/kg bolus infusion, levels were 0.3 ng/ml or higher in all subjects for at least 60 minutes.