Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42840768›Full record

Trial reportDrug design, development and therapy2026

Intraoperative Dexmedetomidine and Postoperative Delirium After Head and Neck Cancer Surgery with Free-Flap Reconstruction: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Shi-Jing Zhang, Qiumiao Chen, Liheng Li, Junli You, Yu-Bo Xie

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Drug design, development and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Shi-Jing Zhang *Department of Anesthesiology, The Ninth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Beihai, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0005-8414-0258
Qiumiao Chen *Department of Anesthesiology, College of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
Liheng LiDepartment of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0007-0986-5325
Junli YouDepartment of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Yu-Bo XieDepartment of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-7198-7506

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Postoperative delirium is common after major head and neck cancer surgery. We investigated whether intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion was associated with a lower incidence of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery requiring free-flap reconstruction. Methods: This was a delirium-focused secondary analysis of a single-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Adult patients with head and neck cancer scheduled for elective surgery requiring free-flap reconstruction under general anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion at 0.3 μg kg Results: There was less delirium during the initial 5 postoperative days in patients assigned to dexmedetomidine (14.9%, 7 of 47 patients) than in those given placebo (34.7%, 17 of 49 patients). Dexmedetomidine was associated with lower odds of postoperative delirium after adjustment for age, preoperative Mini-Mental State Examination score, and operative time (adjusted odds ratio 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.92; Conclusion: In patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery with free-flap reconstruction, intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion was associated with a lower incidence of postoperative delirium during the first 5 postoperative days, without an apparent increase in perioperative adverse events. Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR2300067376.

Indexed as

DeliriumDexmedetomidineFree Tissue FlapsHead and Neck NeoplasmsPlastic Surgery ProceduresPostoperative ComplicationsAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedDexmedetomidinedexmedetomidinefree-flap reconstructionhead and neck cancerpostoperative deliriumrandomized trial

Identifiers

PMID42840768
PMCPMC13641108

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.