Study: Intraoperative DEX infusions effectively manage diabetes in cardiac surgery patients

Editor's Note

Intraoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine (DEX) could help improve glycemic control and reduce insulin requirements in diabetic patients undergoing cardiac surgery, according to a July 25 article in Medical Dialogues.

The article focuses on a prospective observational study published in the journal Annals of Cardiac Anesthesia. The study included 100 adult diabetic patients divided into two groups, one receiving DEX infusion and one receiving saline. Key findings include:

• DEX infusion significantly reduced the mean dose of insulin required compared to saline infusion (36.03 +/- 22.71 IU vs 47.82 +/- 30.19 IU, P = 0.0297).
• Incidence of arrhythmias was lower in the DEX group (20% vs 46%, P = 0.0059).
• Incidence of delirium was lower in the DEX group (6% vs 20%, P = 0.0384).
• No significant decreases were observed in other clinical parameters