title: New agents for sedation in the intensive care unit.
abstract: Several advances are likely to benefit the ICU patient requiring sedation, analgesia, and anxiolysis. The cooperative sedation induced by dexmedetomidine is a unique and valuable state that allows patients to be aroused easily and interferes little with ventilation. Remifentanil is the prototype of short-acting drugs, providing fast onset and offset; its relatively high cost may be balanced by limiting the risk for long-lasting respiratory depression. Lorazepam seems to be finding more proponents, especially in long-term ICU sedation where the costs of the newer agents may be prohibitive.
authors.affiliation: Sir Ivan Magill Department of Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Division of Surgery, Anaesthetics, and Intensive Care, Imperial College School of Medicine, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, United Kingdom. m.maze@ic.ac.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maze
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scarfini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavaliere
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology; D020927:Dexmedetomidine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000502:physiology; D000077208:Remifentanil
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D010880:Piperidines; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D020927:Dexmedetomidine; D008140:Lorazepam; D000077208:Remifentanil