PROVIDING SEDATION FOR PAtient comfort is an integral component of bedside care for nearly every patient in the intensive care unit (ICU). For decades,-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists (including propofol and benzodiazepines such as midazolam) have been the most commonly administered sedative drugs for ICU patients worldwide.1-5 Practice guidelines for providing sedation in the ICU have identified the need for well-designed randomized trials comparing the effectiveness of different sedative agents for important clinical outcomes.1 Despite the well-known hazards associated with prolonged use of GABA agonists,6-12 few investigations of ICU sedation have compared these agents to other drug classes.12-14 Instead, the recent focus in PDF全文 |