Incidence of Rebound Hypertension after Discontinuation of Dexmedetomidine

To date, no studies have evaluated the incidence of rebound hypertension occurring with the discontinuation of long-term (> 72 hrs) dexmedetomidine infusions. Rebound hypertension has been documented in the literature with clonidine, a structurally and pharmacologically similar medication.

To compare the incidence of rebound hypertension associated with cessation of dexmedetomidine infusion with other sedative medications.

This retrospective, matched cohort study evaluated the incidence of rebound hypertension in intensive care unit patients receiving continuous infusions of at least 72 hours in duration of dexmedetomidine, propofol, or midazolam.

The study population consisted of 216 patients: 54 treated with dexmedetomidine and 162 treated with propofol or midazolam. Rebound hypertension occurred significantly more often in patients with a history of hypertension (71.1%) than in patients with no prior hypertension (28.9%; p<0.001).There was no difference in incidence of rebound hypertension in the dexmedetomidine or propofol and midazolam arms (16.7% vs 17.9%, p=0.837). The titration timeframe for the dexmedetomidine infusion, defined as the time from peak infusion rate until discontinuation, was significantly shorter in patients with rebound hypertension (median duration, 4 hrs) compared with patients who did not have rebound hypertension (median duration, 17 hrs; p=0.011).

There was no difference in the incidence of rebound hypertension observed with dexmedetomidine discontinuation compared with propofol or midazolam. Instead, history of hypertension and a shorter weaning duration appear to be associated with increased risk of rebound hypertension regardless of the sedative used.