American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Am. J. Crit. Care
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The perceptions of patients who are restrained and sedated while being treated with mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit are not well understood. The effectiveness of sedation used to aid in recovery and enhance comfort during intubation is unknown. ⋯ Being intubated can be painful and traumatic despite administration of sedatives and analgesics. Sedation may mask uncontrolled pain for intubated patients and prevent them from communicating this condition to a nurse. Nurses may need to evaluate current interventions in order to provide maximum comfort and promote optimal positive outcomes for intensive care patients who are intubated.