Sedation and analgesia in the critically ill adult

To review the recent advances in providing analgesia and sedation to intensive care unit patients that can improve outcomes, and reduce resource utilization and adverse events.

Validated tools to assess patient sedation and analgesia are available, and have been shown to improve outcomes when used. A strategy providing analgesia-first and supplemented by sedation-as-needed appears to improve patient outcomes. The negative impact of deep sedation to the point of coma, even for brief periods, is again recognized. Additional data defining adverse events associated with propofol and lorazepam can help us develop strategies to avoid them.

Utilizing and incorporating these new advances can improve outcomes and result in a more comfortable patient.