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Dexmedetomidine administration is associated with small haemodynamic changes in children undergoing cardiac procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2025

Noa Rose
Affiliation:
Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Majed Al Hassanieh
Affiliation:
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
William M. Jackson*
Affiliation:
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
*
Corresponding author: William Jackson; Email: wijackson@montefiore.org
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Abstract

Introduction:

Dexmedetomidine is frequently used in paediatric anaesthesia. This includes use in patients with CHD, but detailed analysis of haemodynamics after administration in these patients has not yet been published. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses examining haemodynamic changes immediately after dexmedetomidine administration in patients with CHD.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and Medline from inception until May 31, 2024. Inclusion criteria were studies that contained children with CHD who received dexmedetomidine for a cardiac procedure and reported at least one haemodynamic variable before and after administration of dexmedetomidine. Exclusion criteria were studies of noncardiac procedures. We performed a meta-analysis on each haemodynamic variable that was reported by at least four studies.

Results:

We screened 5383 abstracts. We included 85 studies for review, and 16 studies were accepted for four meta-analyses (heart rate, 16 studies, n = 408; systolic blood pressure, 11 studies, n = 280; diastolic blood pressure, 10 studies, n = 276; mean arterial pressure, 5 studies, n = 130). Analysis of heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure showed a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.001), while there was no significant change in mean arterial pressure. The clinical difference was minimal with a decrease in heart rate of 11.3 beats per minute, and a decrease in systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure of 5.9 and 6.2 mmHg, respectively. Heterogeneity was high in all analyses.

Discussion:

Dexmedetomidine is associated with small changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure in children with CHD. Further study is warranted.

Information

Type
Original Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Figure 1. PRISMA diagram displaying our search strategy and method for including and excluding studies published on the haemodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine on children with congenital heart disease.

Figure 1

Figure 2. Meta-analysis of measures of heart rate (HR) before and after the administration of dexmedetomidine in children with congenital heart disease. Lower heart rate indicates a measured decrease in heart rate after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Higher heart rate indicates a measured increase in heart rate after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Data represented as mean beats per minute with standard deviation (SD) measured in beats per minute.

Figure 2

Figure 3. Meta-analysis of measures of systolic blood pressure (SBP) before and after the administration of dexmedetomidine in children with congenital heart disease. Lower SBP indicates a measured decrease in systolic blood pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Higher SBP indicates a measured increase in systolic blood pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Data represented as mean mmHg with standard deviation (SD) measured in mmHg.

Figure 3

Figure 4. Meta-analysis of measures of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) before and after the administration of dexmedetomidine in children with congenital heart disease. Lower DBP indicates a measured decrease in diastolic blood pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Higher DBP indicates a measured increase in diastolic blood pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Data represented as mean mmHg with standard deviation (SD) measured in mmHg.

Figure 4

Figure 5. Meta-analysis of measures of mean arterial pressure (MAP) before and after the administration of dexmedetomidine in children with congenital heart disease. Lower MAP indicates a measured decrease in mean arterial blood pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Higher MAP indicates a measured increase in mean arterial pressure after the administration of dexmedetomidine. Data represented as mean mmHg with standard deviation (SD) measured in mmHg.

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