What is known and objective: Dexmedetomidine is a selective alpha-2 agonist used for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Case description: A 41-year-old woman intubated in the ICU and being treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) received dexmedetomidine following successful extubation to treat increasing agitation thought to be secondary to a history of polysubstance abuse. Following initiation of the dexmedetomidine, the patient became febrile as well as increasingly more agitated and delirious. All potential fever or delirium causes were evaluated. Following discontinuation of dexmedetomidine, her fever, agitation and delirium ceased.
What is new and conclusion: We depict the first known case of dexmedetomidine causing high fevers and delirium.
Keywords: alpha-2 adrenergic agonist; delirium; dexmedetomidine; fever; hyperthermia.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.