Annales françaises d'anesthèsie et de rèanimation
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Sedative and analgesic treatment administered to critically ill patients need to be regularly assessed to ensure that predefinite goals are well achieved as the risk of complications of oversedation is minimized. In most of the cases, which are lightly sedation patients, the goal to reach is a calm, cooperative and painless patient, adapted to the ventilator. Recently, eight new bedside scoring systems to monitor sedation have been developed and mainly tested for reliability and validity. ⋯ On the other hand, subjective scales are insensitive to detect oversedation in patients requiring deep sedation. The contribution of the BIS in deeply sedation patients, patients under neuromuscular blockade or barbiturates has to be proved. Pharmacoeconomics studies are lacking.
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Sedation-analgesia for critically ill patients is usually performed with the combination of a sedative agent and an opioid. Midazolam and propofol are the agents most commonly used for sedation in ICU. The quality of the sedation is quite comparable with both agents, but pharmacokinetic properties of propofol allow a more rapid weaning process from mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Sufentanil, fentanyl and morphine are the most frequently used opioids. Remifentanil is an ultrashort acting opiate that does not appear to accumulate with prolonged use. The advent of remifentanil has allowed the use of analgesia-based sedation.
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Although many questions are still debated, some recommendations can be formulated regarding the use of neuromuscular blocking agents in the ICU. A transient curarization can be used during brief diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in order to avoid haemodynamic consequences of deep sedation. A volume controlled ventilation has to be used during the procedure. ⋯ A recovery from curarization should be daily envisaged if possible, in order to check the depth of the underlying sedation. In brain injured patients, a curarization can be envisaged if adaptation to the ventilator remains difficult or if normothermia or moderate hypothermia, if indicated, cannot be obtained. However, these attitudes are not based on specific data at the present time.
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A sedation strategy aimed at minimizing alteration of consciousness once comfort, analgesia and adaptation to the ventilator have been ensured is feasible in critically-ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation, even if, in patients with severe ARDS or ICH, the high dosages of sedatives and analgesics transiently required to provide perfect adaptation to the ventilator often preclude preservation of consciousness. The main components of a sedation algorithm include a clear objective of sedation-analgesia, regular assessments of patient status using validated clinical tools and a precise yet simple dosage adaptation schedule. Development and implementation of a sedation algorithm requires a multidisciplinary approach and an important input from both physicians and nurses. ⋯ Indeed, the way the sedative drug is used, as part of a sedation algorithm, is very likely more important than the selection of the drug itself. Analgesia-based sedation, promoting the use of morphinics alone before the adjunction of hypnotics, represents a new alternative to the traditional combined administration of hypnotics and morphinics. However data on the impact of analgesia-based sedation on patients' outcomes remain sparse to date.