• Jean C Solodiuk, Erin Sweet, Christine Greco, Shannon F Manzi, Maeve Giangregorio, Adam Homoki, Liza Li, Laura Mansfield, Judy Mahoney, and Monica E Kleinman.
• Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2022 May 1; 23 (5): 353-360.

ObjectivesTo develop and implement clinical practice guidelines for safely weaning dexmedetomidine infusions in non-ICU areas.DesignDevelopment, implementation, and analysis of effectiveness of clinical practice guidelines.SettingQuaternary care academic free-standing pediatric hospital.PatientsChildren, otherwise medically ready for transfer to non-ICU areas, who were undergoing a planned wean of a dexmedetomidine infusion.InterventionsSubject matter experts developed evidence-based guidelines for weaning dexmedetomidine in patients whose critical phase of illness had resolved.Measurements And Main ResultsSearches identified no prospective studies of dexmedetomidine weaning. We identified two retrospective reviews of withdrawal symptoms and one on the use of clonidine. There were case studies on withdrawal symptoms. Guidelines were piloted on a cohort of 24 patients while in the ICU. The guidelines were then implemented in non-ICU areas for patients undergoing dexmedetomidine weaning after ICU transfer. Over a 2-year period (October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2020), 63 patients (1 mo to 18 yr old) successfully weaned dexmedetomidine in non-ICU areas. The median time to discontinuation of dexmedetomidine after transfer to non-ICU areas was 5.8 days (interquartile range, 4.75-15 d). Fifty-eight percent (n = 41) of all patients were considered high risk for dexmedetomidine withdrawal based on the dose, duration of exposure, and the risk of experiencing physiologic detriment with more than mild withdrawal. Twenty-nine patients (46%) exhibited no signs or symptoms of withdrawal while weaning per guidelines. For those with signs and symptoms of withdrawal, the most common were tachycardia (n = 26, 40%), agitation (n = 9, 14%), and hypertension (n = 9, 11%).ConclusionsWeaning dexmedetomidine in non-ICU areas is feasible and can be accomplished safely even among pediatric patients at high risk for withdrawal using standardized weaning guidelines. At our institution, implementation was associated with reduced ICU length of stay for patients recovering from critical illness.Copyright © 2022 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.

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