Postoperative delirium is one of the most common serious complications after major surgery and is associated with undesirable consequences. Prevention of postoperative delirium is recommended in the clinical guidelines and consensus statements. Dexmedetomidine, a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, has been investigated as a pharmacological intervention to prevent postoperative delirium. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that prophylactic use of low-dose dexmedetomidine (0.1 ug/kg/hour without loading infusion) may decrease the incidence of postoperative delirium in patients after cardiac and non-cardiac operations. However, neurosurgical patients are often excluded from previous studies due to potential consciousness and cognition impairment. The investigators design this pilot randomized controlled trial aiming to clarify the feasibility and safety of use of low-dose dexmedetomidine for prevention of postoperative delirium in patients after intracranial operation for brain tumor.
Postoperative delirium is one of the most common serious complications after major surgery and is associated with undesirable consequences. Prevention of postoperative delirium is recommended in the clinical guidelines and consensus statements. Dexmedetomidine, a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, has been investigated as a pharmacological intervention to prevent postoperative delirium. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that prophylactic use of low-dose dexmedetomidine may decrease the incidence of postoperative delirium in patients after cardiac and non-cardiac operations. However, neurosurgical patients are often excluded from previous studies due to potential consciousness and cognition impairment. The investigators design this pilot study aiming to clarify the feasibility and safety of use of low-dose dexmedetomidine for prevention of postoperative delirium in patients after intracranial operation for brain tumor.