Procedural sedation and analgesia during enzymatic debridement of burn patients

Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is a widely used strategy in various fields to carry out numerous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, there is limited information on its efficacy and safety during enzymatic debridement of burn patients with Nexobrid®. The aim of our study was to describe the U-type PSA procedure in a series of patients requiring enzymatic debridement. We carried out a retrospective, descriptive study involving 28 patients requiring enzymatic debridement of a limb, trunk or multiple locations, who had been admitted to the Burn Unit of the University Hospital Complex of A Coruña (Spain). Of these, 17 patients (not requiring invasive mechanical ventilation [IMV]) received intravenous PSA and two received local/regional anesthesia. Among those patients who received PSA, the most frequently used sedative during the application and removal of Nexobrid® was ketamine following premedication with midazolam (median Ramsay sedation score = 3; range = 2-4). The most common type of analgesics prescribed for the debridement procedure was opioids. Three patients required rescue analgesia because of the intensity of their pain (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] ≥ 4). The patients did not experience any of the complications analyzed. In our case series, U-type PSA proved to be a satisfactory and safe support strategy for enzymatic debridement of burn patients not requiring IMV due to another cause.