Hemodynamic instability commonly occurs in critically ill adults receiving dexmedetomidine, with more than two thirds of this cohort experiencing hypotension and/or bradycardia within 24 hours of initiation. Increasing age and low baseline arterial blood pressure were associated with the development of hemodynamic instability. These findings suggest that clinicians should be aware of the potential risk of hemodynamic instability when using dexmedetomidine in patients with advanced age or low baseline arterial blood pressure.

Background: The clinical use of factor VIII inhibitor bypassing activity (FEIBA) for factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor reversal is derived from small studies with notable variation in patient eligibility for use, dosage regimens, concurrent supportive care, and outcome measures. Consequently, additional effectiveness and safety data are warranted to expand the literature evaluating FEIBA for FXa inhibitor reversal. Objective: This study sought to determine the incidence of observed effective hemostasis within 24 hours of post-FEIBA® administration as well as in-hospital and 30-day post-discharge incidences of thromboembolic event (TEE) and mortality between apixaban and rivaroxaban in the intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and non-ICH populations. Methods: This case series evaluated patients between January 1, 2014 through July 1, 2019 who received at least one FEIBA® dose for apixaban or rivaroxaban reversal secondary to acute ICH or non-ICH. Patient demographics, FEIBA® dosages, adjunct treatments, effectiveness, and safety outcomes were retrospectively collected from electronic medical record review. Modified hemostasis outcomes, adapted from criteria previously published by Sarode et al., TEE, and mortality between apixaban and rivaroxaban in the ICH and non-ICH populations were evaluated. Results: Among the 104 patients evaluated, 62 received apixaban and 42 rivaroxaban. Thirty apixaban and 25 rivaroxaban users experienced ICH, whereas 32 apixaban and 17 rivaroxaban users experienced non-ICH. Among the combined ICH and non-ICH populations, effective hemostasis occurred in 89%, TEE in 8%, and mortality in 13%. No statistically significant differences were observed within ICH and non-ICH populations receiving apixaban or rivaroxaban regarding effective hemostasis, TEE, or mortality. Conclusion and Relevance: The combined ICH and non-ICH overall rates of effective hemostasis, TEE, and mortality were comparable to preexisting studies of FEIBA for factor Xa inhibitor reversal. The limitations inherent to the study design warrant a randomized controlled trial with an active comparator to confirm these observations.

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