Principles and Practice of Sedation in Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Distress is common amongst critically ill patients in ICU, especially those who are intubated or have difficulty communicating with their caregivers [1]. Distress in ICU generally presents as agitation. It needs to be treated for patient comfort & if left untreated increases sympathetic tone with untoward physiologic effects [2].Before a sedative agent is initiated to manage agitation, the cause of distress should be identified & treated. Common causes of distress in critically ill patients include:-anxiety, pain, delirium, dyspnoea and neuromuscular paralysis. These etiologies may occur separately or in combination.