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Rationale: Dexmedetomidine is associated with less delirium than benzodiazepines and better sleep architecture than either benzodiazepines or propofol; its effect on delirium and sleep when administered at night to patients requiring sedation remains unclear.

Objectives: To determine if nocturnal dexmedetomidine prevents delirium and improves sleep in critically ill adults.

Methods: This two-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized 100 delirium-free critically ill adults receiving sedatives to receive nocturnal (9:30 p.m. to 6:15 a.m.) intravenous dexmedetomidine (0.2 μg/kg/h, titrated by 0.1 μg /kg/h every 15 min until a goal Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale score of −1 or maximum rate of 0.7 μg/kg/h was reached) or placebo until ICU discharge. During study infusions, all sedatives were halved; opioids were unchanged. Delirium was assessed using the Intensive Care Delirium Screening …