Table 2 Characteristics and pharmacokinetic parameters of dexmedetomidine infusions in 13 intensive care patients

Variable

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

Mean

CV (%)

Rate of the 12-h initial infusion (μg/kg/h)

0.1

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.6^a

58.1

Maximum infusion rate (μg/kg/h)

0.1

2.1

2.5

2.5

2.5

2.5

2.5

0.95

0.7

2.5

1.2

2.5

2.5

1.5^a

117

Length of infusion (h)

40

142

137

88

55

304

137

30

121

330

13

72

192

92.0^a

117

Cumulative dose (mg)

0.34

11

25

8.7

8.0

56

17

1.4

2.4

82

1.1

13

46

21.0

120

AUC_0-∞ (ng h/ml)

17.8

376

550

174

252

924

337

39.0

100

1,530

29.7

350

583

213^a

233

Extrapolated fraction of AUC_0-∞ (%)

1.3

0.1

0.0

0.1

22.0

0.0

0.0

0.6

0.2

0.0

37.1

9.3

0.0

t_1/2 (h)

4.5

4.2

2.9

5.0

-

2.4

3.4

3.3

6.9

5.1

-

-

2.1

3.7^a

38.1

Cl (L/h)

18.9

30.4

45.4

50.4

31.8

60.7

51.5

35.5

23.7

53.7

36.1

36.7

79.0

39.7^a

40.9

V (L)

123

184

193

362

-

213

252

170

234

391

-

-

234

223^a

35.3