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In multiple studies including a recent JAMA article, I have been shown to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay compared to my more traditional counterparts. I'm sometimes used in procedural sedation (even as anesthesia for awake craniotomies!). Other times, you might find me hanging with benzos for that drunk patient sobering up. Sometimes, I am given as a loading dose, and I can cause either hypertension or hypotension, to the confusion of many medical students. Avoid me if the patient has heart block or bradycardia, though.

Challenge: Who am I?

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