title: Sedation and analgesia in intensive care. Medications attenuate stress response in critical illness.
abstract: The stress response to critical illness can have many deleterious effects. Appropriate use of sedation and analgesia can attenuate the stress response, alleviate pain and anxiety, and improve compliance with care. Agitation responds best to anxiolytic drugs; pain is best relieved by analgesics. A combination of these drugs can act synergistically, because most analgesics provide some degree of sedation. In select cases, neuromuscular blocking agents are required, but they should not be used without concomitant sedation and analgesia. Use of agents needs to be tailored to the needs of individual patients; indications, anticipated length of need, and underlying organ system derangements are important considerations.
authors.affiliation: Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, BBR 5513, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. ablancha@mail.mcg.edu
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Blanchard
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents