Anesthesiology
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Multicenter Study
Current practices in sedation and analgesia for mechanically ventilated critically ill patients: a prospective multicenter patient-based study.
The authors conducted a patient-based survey of practices to fully describe the assessment and the management of pain and sedation of a large cohort of mechanically ventilated patients during their first week of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. ⋯ Excessively deep states of sedation and a lack of analgesia during painful procedures must be prevented. To facilitate systematic pain and sedation assessment and to adjust daily drug dosages accordingly, it seems crucial to promote educational programs and elaboration of protocols/guidelines in the ICU.