• Giuseppe Citerio and Manuela Cormio.
• Dipartimento di Anestesia e Rianimazone, Nuovo Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy. g.citerio@hsgerardo.org
• Curr Opin Crit Care. 2003 Apr 1; 9 (2): 120-6.

Purpose Of ReviewTo evaluate the rationale and the pharmacologic options for sedating neurointensive care patients.Recent FindingsSedation is a fundamental element in the neurointensive care unit. Even if the sedative strategy in the neurointensive care unit shares the same general aims with intensive care, the characteristics of the patients in the neurointensive care unit pose other unique challenges and some specific indications. The primary aim of neurointensive care is to maintain adequate cerebral perfusion pressure, to control intracranial pressure, and to maintain an adequate mean arterial pressure. Reducing the brain's metabolic demand is an important treatment strategy, and analgesic and sedative agents are used to prevent undesirable increases in intracranial pressure. There are many different pharmacologic agents available, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages.SummaryThe pharmacokinetic and pharmacologic effects of the available sedatives used in neurointensive care patients are reviewed.Copyright 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

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