Effects of dexmedetomidine on renal function in patients with septic shock

This study was to observe the effects of dexmedetomidine against acute kidney injury in patients with septic shock. A prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in which 80 patients with septic shock admitted in Department of Critical Care Medicine of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University from June 2015 to January 2017 were divided into experimental group and control group. The patients in both groups received basic treatment for septic shock, and the patients in the experimental group were given intravenous injection of dexmedetomidine, maintained with 0.1–0.2 µg kg −1  h −1 for 5 days. In both groups, the changes in the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, serum creatinine (SCr), cystatin C (Cys C), and β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) were determined before treatment and 1, 3, and 5 days after treatment. At 5 days after treatment, Cys C, β2-MG, and SCr were significantly decreased in both groups ( P < 0.05), and the degree of decrease in the experimental group was more obvious ( P < 0.05). At 1, 3, and 5 days after treatment, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly decreased in both groups ( P < 0.05) and the degree of decrease in the experimental group was more obvious ( P < 0.05). Dexmedetomidine has certain renal protective effect in patients with septic shock, and its mechanism is possibly related to the regulation and improvement of uncontrolled inflammatory response.