The Effect of Guanfacine on Delirium in Critically Ill Patients

Delirium in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a common problem associated with increased mortality and morbidity, including increased hospital and ICU length of stay, greater hospital cost, increased ventilator days, and long-term cognitive disability. Various pharmacologic agents including dopamine antagonists, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, melatonin, antipsychotics, alpha-2 agonists, and glutamate antagonists are used for treatment of delirium in the ICU despite the lack of clear evidence of efficacy.Since there is no evidence-based pharmacologic treatment of ICU delirium, current therapy is focused on non-pharmacologic prevention techniques and pharmacologic agents are used once delirium is established. Guanfacine, an alpha-2 agonist, has been identified as a potential medication that may be of benefit in the treatment of delirium. The purpose of this study to investigate the effects of guanfacine versus placebo on delirium in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU and to determine whether guanfacine along with standard of care reduces the duration of delirium, compared to standard of care alone.