Monitoring of nighttime EEG slow‐wave activity during dexmedetomidine infusion in patients with hyperactive ICU delirium: An observational pilot study

BACKGROUND: The disturbance of sleep has been associated with intensive care unit (ICU) delirium. Monitoring of EEG slow‐wave activity (SWA) has potential in measuring sleep quality and quantity. We investigated the quantitative monitoring of nighttime SWA and its association with the clinical evaluation of sleep in patients with hyperactive ICU delirium treated with dexmedetomidine. METHODS: We performed overnight EEG recordings in 15 patients diagnosed with hyperactive delirium during moderate dexmedetomidine sedation. SWA was evaluated by offline calculation of the C‐Trend Index, describing SWA in one parameter ranging 0 to 100 in values. Average and percentage of SWA values <50 were categorized as poor. The sleep quality and depth was clinically evaluated by the bedside nurse using the Richards‐Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) with scores <70 categorized as poor. RESULTS: Nighttime SWA revealed individual sleep structures and fundamental variation between patients. SWA was poor in 67%, sleep quality (RCSQ) in 67%, and sleep depth (RCSQ) in 60% of the patients. The category of SWA aligned with that of RCSQ‐based sleep quality in 87% and RCSQ‐based sleep depth in 67% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Both, SWA and clinical evaluation suggested that the quality and depth of nighttime sleep were poor in most patients with hyperactive delirium despite dexmedetomidine infusion. Furthermore, the SWA and clinical evaluation classifications were not uniformly in agreement. An objective mode such as practical EEG‐based solution for sleep evaluation and individual drug dosing in the ICU setting could offer potential in improving sleep for patients with delirium.