Sedoanalgesia in paediatric intensive care: a survey of 19 Italian units.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the methods used to manage and monitor sedoanalgesia at Italian paediatric intensive care units (ICUs).


METHODS
Data were collected by administering a questionnaire that aimed to investigate whether ICUs adopted a validated protocol to manage sedoanalgesia.


RESULTS
The results revealed that a majority of the ICUs adopt a protocol for dealing with sedation and analgesia, but this protocol is implemented with difficulty or not at all in routine clinical practice. The most often used pharmacological combination, is midazolam and fentanyl. Several weaknesses remain in terms of the methods used to assess sedoanalgesia, which are generally not standardized, but rather based on recording the patient's physiological parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
Sedation and analgesia are priority issues in the management of critically ill children. None of the numerous drugs available is ideal and the protocols currently used in clinical practice involve the combined use of different drugs. There is currently no shared and validated approach as to which is the most effective and safest sedoanalgesic regimen in critically ill children.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyMayer Children Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Benini
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyMayer Children Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Farina
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyMayer Children Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Capretta
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyMayer Children Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Messeri
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyMayer Children Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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Cogo
D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D007558:Italy; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives