Purpose To describe changes in hemodynamic variables, sedation and pain score after discontinuation of prolonged infusions of dexmedetomidine in a pediatric population of critically ill cardiac patients. Methods Retrospective case series of patients who received continuous infusions of dexmedetomidine for longer than 3 days in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit from 2008 to 2010. Results Sixty-two patients, age 5.2 months (range 0.3 months – 17 years) and weight 5.1 kg (range 2.2–84 kg), were included. Thirty-nine patients (63%) were <1 year of age. Median duration of dexmedetomidine infusion was 5.8 days (range 4–26 days) and median infusion dose was 0.71 μg/kg/hr (range 0.2–2.1 μg/kg/hr). Median weaning time and dose at discontinuation were 43 hours (range 0–189 hours) and 0.2 μg/kg/hr (range 0.1–1.3 μg/kg/hr). Tachycardia, transient hypertension and agitation were observed in 27%, 35% and 27% of patients. Episodes of tachycardia were more frequent in children >1 year of age (61% vs. 8%, p < .001), patients who received dexmedetomidine for 4 days when compared to those who received 5 days or longer (48% vs. 17%, p = .011) and patients whose infusion was discontinued abruptly (42% vs. 14%, p = .045). Tachyarrhythmias were seen in 9 patients (15%) after discontinuation of the dexmedetomidine infusion. Adequate sedation and analgesia scores at the moment of infusion discontinuation were seen in 90% and 88%, of patients respectively. Conclusions Our study suggests that tachycardia, transient hypertension and agitation are frequently observed in pediatric cardiac intensive care unit patients after discontinuing prolonged dexmedetomidine infusions.

Telemedicine is a feasible option for pediatric intensivists seeking experienced assistance in the management of complex cardiac patients. Real-time remote assistance may improve the medical care of pediatric cardiac patients treated in developing countries.

Our results suggest that a combination of afterload reduction and hypoxemic therapy was able to maintain an appropriate distribution of the cardiac output in the majority of preoperative patients with single-ventricle physiology. An adequate balance of systemic and pulmonary blood flow was successfully achieved with an increase in arterial PaO2 values.