Management of sedation during weaning from mechanical ventilation

Critically ill patients frequently require mechanical ventilation and often receive sedation to control pain, reduce anxiety, and facilitate patient-ventilator interactions. Weaning from mechanical ventilation is intertwined with sedation management. In this review, we analyze the current evidence for sedation management during ventilatory weaning, including level of sedation, timing of sedation weaning, analgesic and sedative choices, and sedation management in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Despite a large body of evidence from the past 20 years regarding the importance of light sedation and paired spontaneous awakening and spontaneous breathing trials (SATs/SBTs) to promote ventilator weaning, recent studies show that implementation of these strategies lag in practice. The recent WEAN SAFE trial highlights the delay between meeting weaning criteria and first weaning attempt, with level of sedation predicting both delays and weaning failure. Recent studies show that targeted interventions around evidence-based practices for sedation weaning improve outcomes, though long-term sustainability remains a challenge.

Light or no sedation strategies that prioritize analgesia prior to sedatives along with paired SATs/SBTs promote ventilator liberation. Dexmedetomidine may have a role in weaning for agitated patients. Further investigation is needed into optimal sedation management for patients with ARDS.