Anesthesiology clinics
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Anesthesiology clinics · Dec 2011
Pharmacology of commonly used analgesics and sedatives in the ICU: benzodiazepines, propofol, and opioids.
The ideal sedative or analgesic agent should have a rapid onset of activity, a rapid recovery after drug discontinuation, a predictable dose response, a lack of drug accumulation,and no toxicity. Unfortunately, none of the earlier analgesics, the benzodiazepines,or propofol share all of these characteristics. ⋯ In addition, the ever-changing dynamics of patients who are critically ill makes the use of sedation a continual challenge during the course of each patient’s admission. To optimize care, clinicians should be familiar with the many pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic variables that can affect the safety and efficacy of sedatives and analgesics.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Dec 2011
Pharmacology of sedative-analgesic agents: dexmedetomidine, remifentanil, ketamine, volatile anesthetics, and the role of peripheral Mu antagonists.
In this article, the authors discuss the pharmacology of sedative-analgesic agents like dexmedetomidine, remifentanil, ketamine, and volatile anesthetics. Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha-2 agonist that provides anxiolysis and cooperative sedation without respiratory depression. It has organ protective effects against ischemic and hypoxic injury, including cardioprotection, neuroprotection, and renoprotection. ⋯ Ketamine is a nonbarbiturate phencyclidine derivative and provides analgesia and apparent anesthesia with relative hemodynamic stability. Volatile anesthetics such as isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane are in daily use in the operating room in the delivery of general anesthesia. A major advantage of these halogenated ethers is their quick onset, quick offset, and ease of titration in rendering the patient unconscious, immobile, and amnestic.
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Little is known of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic delirium prevention and treatment in the critical care setting. Trials emphasizing early mobilization suggest that this nonpharmacologic approach is associated with an improvement in delirium incidence. ⋯ No nonpharmacologic approach or drug has been shown to be beneficial once delirium is established. Considering the importance and the consequences of delirium in the critical care setting, studies to further address prevention and rigorous trials addressing pharmacologic intervention are urgently needed.
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Despite considerable information on the pharmacotherapy of sedation in the ICU, there is little published on the pharmacoeconomics of sedation in patients who are critically ill. The purpose of this article is to discuss the various components that contribute to the cost of treating the agitated ICU patient and to critically review the articles published since 2000 that evaluated costs and cost-effectiveness in ICU patients receiving drugs for agitation and/or pain. Clinicians should look beyond the acquisition cost of a sedative and include the effect of sedatives on the cost of care when selecting the most appropriate sedative.