Dexmedetomidine and Cognitive Dysfunction after Critical Illness

Abstract

Historically, success in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been measured in easily quantifiable metrics such as mortality and length of stay. While these metrics have significant value, they do not take into account what a patient’s life is like after ICU discharge. By understanding that success is not simply measured by leaving the ICU, the recent identification of post–intensive care syndrome has revolutionized the manner in which we think of successful outcomes after critical illness.¹  Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients suffer from post–intensive care syndrome, in which they have long-term cognitive, physical, and emotional issues for extended periods of time—or permanently—after discharge from the ICU. Understanding how to prevent (or at least minimize) post–intensive care syndrome thus represents a new frontier in critical care.