Investigation of Sleep in the Intensive Care Unit

Sleep deprivation is common and often severe in critically ill patients cared for in intensive care units (ICUs) and is hypothesized to be a modifiable risk factor for delirium, which in turn is hypothesized to be a modifiable risk factor for long-term cognitive disability following recovery from critical illness. Dexmedetomidine (Dex) reduces the incidence of delirium in ICU patients by unknown mechanisms. The Investigation of Sleep in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU-SLEEP) Trial aims to determine whether Dex reduces delirium by improving sleep, whether a low- and/or very-low dose continuous infusion of Dex increases delirium-free days more, and the relationship between sleep deprivation in the ICU to long-term cognitive outcomes.