Neuroprotection With Dexmedetomidine in Patients Undergoing Elective Cardiac or Abdominal Surgery (Neuprodex)

Exclusion Criteria

• •1. Known drug intolerance/allergy: dexmedetomidine or to other ingredients
• •2. Lacking willingness to save and hand out pseudonymised data within the clinical trial
• •3. Accommodation in an institution due to an official or judicial order (according to AMG §40 (1) 4)
• •4. Employee of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin CVK/CCM
• •5. Illiteracy
• •6. Inability to speak and/or read German
• •7. Minimal mental status examination (MMSE) \< 24
• •8. Severe hearing loss or visual impairment
• •9. Acute brain injury
• •10. Intracranial haemorrhage within one year before participation in the study
• •11. Manifest psychiatric disease
• •12. Known illicit substance abuse
• •13. Acute intoxication
• •14. For women: Pregnancy or positive pregnancy test within the preoperative screening
• •15. Homeless or other circumstances, where the patient would not be reachable by telephone or postal services for the 3-months follow up
• •16. Participation in another interventional clinical trial according to the German Drug Law at time of inclusion and during the trial
• •17. Acute circulatory failure at time of randomisation (severe hypotension with mean arterial pressure \< 55 mmHg despite vasopressors or optimal preload)
• •18. AV-conduction-block II or III (unless pacemaker installed)
• •19. Severe bradycardia (heart-rate \< 50 bpm, preoperative, permanent)
• •20. Spinal cord injury with known autonomic dysregulation
• •21. Preoperative acute cerebrovascular event with neurologic residues
• •22. Liver insufficiency (Child C cirrhosis, MELD Score \> 17)
• •23. Application of Remifentanil during the operation
• •24. Deep sedation (RASS, -4 to -5)
• •25. Administration of Clonidine during administration of the study drug
• •26. Additional administration of Dexmedetomidine within 3 months after study inclusion
• •Control Group:
• •1. Minimal mental status examination (MMSE) \< 24
• •2. Missing informed consent for saving and hand out pseudonymous data
• •3. Neuropsychiatric morbidity, which limits the conduction of the neurocognitive testing
• •4. Anacusis or Hypoacusis, which limits the conduction of the neurocognitive testing
• •5. Taking psychothropic drugs (including sleep-inducing drug and benzodiazepine) on a regular basis and other substances, which limit the conduction of the neurocognitive testing