Early Light Sedation Increased the Duration of Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With Severe Lung Injury

The international guidelines recommend light sedation management for patients receiving mechanical ventilation. One of the benefits of light sedation management during mechanical ventilation is the preservation of spontaneous breathing, which leads to improved gas-exchange and patient outcomes. Conversely, recent experimental animal studies have suggested that strong spontaneous breathing effort may cause worsening of lung injury, especially in severe lung injury cases. The association between depth of sedation and patient outcomes may depend on the severity of lung injury.

This study aimed to describe the patients' clinical outcomes under deep or light sedation during the first 48 h of mechanical ventilation and investigate the association of light sedation on patient outcomes for each severity of lung injury.

The researchers performed a retrospective observational study at a university hospital in Japan. Patients aged ≥20 years, who received mechanical ventilation for at least 48 h were enrolled.

A total of 413 patient cases were analyzed. Light sedation was associated with significantly shorter 28-day ventilator-free days compared with deep sedation in patients with severe lung injury (0 [IQR 0-5] days vs. 16 [0-19] days, P = .038). In the groups of patients with moderate and mild lung injury, the sedation depth was not associated with ventilator-free days. After adjusting for the positive end-expiratory pressure and APACHE II score, it was found that light sedation decreased the number of ventilator-free days in patients with severe lung injury (-10.8 days, 95% CI -19.2 to -2.5, P = .012).

Early light sedation for severe lung injury may be associated with fewer ventilator-free days.