Dexmedetomidine for agitated delirium in intensive care unit intubated patients

Since 1999, when the Food and Drug Administration gave its approval for use in mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care unit (ICU), dexmedetomidine has gained a growing interest among intensivists worldwide. Over the last years, a series of studies on the use of dexmedetomidine in different settings showed that it may provide significant advantages also in the perioperative period and for procedures requiring sedation outside the operating room (1).