Volatile agents for ICU sedation?

Volatile anaesthetics for analgesia and sedation in patients after abdominal surgery in ICU

Methods 37 patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation (20 males, 17 females) after abdominal surgery were followed up in ICU. The sedation level was evaluated with RASS scale and auditory evoked potentials (AEP), analgesia with the analgesia/nociceptive index (ANI), based on spectral analysis of RR intervals [2], hemodynamic parameters by impedance plethysmography. Sedation was performed by A...

Dexmedetomidine sedation in ICU

Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly selective α(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist, is the newest agent introduced for sedation in intensive care unit (ICU). The sedation strategy for critically ill patients has stressed light sedation with daily awakening and assessment for neurologic, cognitive, and respiratory functions, since Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) guidelines were presented in 200...

Sedation in the ICU: Shifts and Strategies

Sedation and neuromuscular blockade in the ICU.

A the key innovations of critical care medicine is treatment directed by continuously measured objective physiologic data. A prime example is the dosing of vasopressors using continuous measurements of systemic arterial pressure acquired from an indwelling arterial catheter. Similarly, the settings of mechanical ventilators are based on pressure and volume measurements of airway gases and arter...

Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Modeling and ICU Sedation

Unexplored Territories IN this issue of ANESTHESIOLOGY, Barr et al. make a useful contribution to our understanding of the clinical pharmacology of intensive care unit (ICU) sedation. It is estimated that approximately $1 billion is spent each year in the United States alone on drugs used for sedation in the ICU. Misuse of these drugs contributes to morbidity, mortality, and expense. Optimizati...