title: Sedation and weaning from mechanical ventilation: time for 'best practice' to catch up with new realities?
abstract: Delivery of sedation in anticipation of weaning of adult patients from prolonged mechanical ventilation is an arena of critical care medicine where opinion-based practice is currently hard to avoid because robust evidence is lacking. We offer some views on this subject, hoping to stimulate debate among colleagues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care and Anesthesiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology Department, Beaujon Hospital, AP-HP, Université Paris-Diderot, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mantz
authors.affiliation: Département d'Anesthésie Réanimation Chirurgicale, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Université Paris-Diderot, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Nord Val de Seine, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Longrois
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine Hospital Links der Weser GmbH, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tonner
keywords: Intensive care; Mechanical ventilation; Sedation; Weaning