In this large, propensity-matched ICU population, patients treated with propofol had a reduced risk of mortality and had both an increased likelihood of earlier ICU discharge and earlier discontinuation of mechanical ventilation.

Loperamide is an antidiarrheal medication deemed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe enough to be sold as an over-the-counter medicine. Unlike other μ-opioid receptor agonists, loperamide acts specifically in the myenteric plexus in the gastrointestinal tract, making the potential for abuse low and reports of toxicity extremely rare. We present a case of a patient previously in good health who developed episodes of cardiac pauses, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and eventually runs of sustained ventricular tachycardia with hemodynamic instability. She required cardiopulmonary resuscitation, multiple cardioversions, and placement of a pacemaker. Her medical history was remarkable only for type 2 diabetes and chronic postcholecystectomy diarrhea. Metformin was the only prescription medication she was taking at the time of presentation. However, she reported that she had been taking an entire bottle of Equate brand loperamide (144 mg) daily for ~2 years. Loperamide overdoses associated with ventricular arrhythmias have been reported, but this is the first case to describe a serious ventricular arrhythmia associated with long-term use of a high dose of loperamide. Chronic overtreatment with loperamide may induce life-threatening arrhythmias.

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Objective: Compare the duration of mechanical ventilation between patients receiving sedation with continuous infusions of propofol alone or combination with the use of dexmedetomidine and propofol. Design: Retrospective, propensity matched (1:1) cohort study, employing eight variables chosen a priori for matching. Timing of exposure to dexmedetomidine initiation was incorporated into a matching algorithm. Setting: Level 1, university-based, 32-bed, adult, mixed trauma and surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Continuous sedation was delivered according to a protocol methodology with daily sedation vacation and spontaneous breathing trials. Choice of sedation agent was physician directed. Patients: Between 2010 and 2014, 149 SICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation for >24 h received dexmedetomidine with propofol. Propensity matching resulted in 143 pair cohorts. Interventions: Dexmedetomidine with propofol or propofol alone. Measurements and Main Results: There was no statistical difference in SICU length of stay (LOS), with a median absolute difference of 5.3 h for propofol alone group (p = 0.43). The SICU mortality was not statistically different (RR = 1.002, p = 0.88). Examining a 14-day period post-treatment with dexmedetomidine, on any given day (excluding days 1 and 14), dexmedetomidine with propofol-treated patients had a 0.5% to 22.5% greater likelihood of being delirious (CAM-ICU positive). In addition, dexmedetomidine with propofol-treated patients had a 4.5% to 18.8% higher likelihood of being above the target sedation score (more agitated) compared to propofol-alone patients. Conclusions: In this propensity matched cohort study, adjunct use of dexmedetomidine to propofol did not show a statistically significant reduction with respect to mechanical ventilation (MV) duration, SICU LOS, or SICU mortality, despite a trend toward receiving fewer hours of propofol. There was no evidence that dexmedetomidine with propofol improved sedation scores or reduced delirium.

This report illustrates potential concerns regarding the administration of Argatroban (AGN), a small molecule, direct thrombin inhibitor, within the setting of multi-organ procurement (MOP). Herein, we outline the case of a large AGN bolus to the donor during MOP, and the passive transfer of a coagulopathy to the recipient of the transplanted liver. From this, we conclude that caution should be exercised when AGN is used in the setting of MOP.

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