What sedation strategy should be used for adult mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit, including target Richmond Agitation‑Sedation Scale (RASS) level, preferred short‑acting agents and dosing, contraindications, daily interruption, monitoring, delirium management, and weaning plan?

ICU Sedation Guidelines for Mechanically Ventilated Adults

Target light sedation (RASS -2 to 0) in all mechanically ventilated ICU patients unless specific clinical contraindications exist, using an analgesia-first approach with short-acting agents (propofol or dexmedetomidine) rather than benzodiazepines. 1

Sedation Assessment and Target Depth

Monitoring Tool Selection

• Use the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) or Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS) for all sedation assessments, as these demonstrate the highest validity, inter-rater reliability, and correlation with objective measures among all available scales 1, 2
• The RASS has superior psychometric properties with a weighted score of 19/20 compared to other scales, and provides consistent consensus targets for goal-directed sedation 1
• Do not use objective brain function monitors (BIS, auditory evoked potentials, Narcotrend Index) as the primary sedation assessment method, as they are inadequate substitutes for validated clinical scales 1

Target Sedation Level

• Maintain RASS -2 to 0 (light sedation: patient sleepy but responsive to verbal stimulus, able to follow simple commands) for the majority of ICU time 3, 2
• Light sedation is associated with shorter mechanical ventilation duration, reduced ICU length of stay, and improved clinical outcomes compared to deep sedation 1
• Deep sedation (RASS -3 to -5) increases mortality risk—each one-point decrease in RASS score is associated with 23% increased odds of death 4

Exceptions Requiring Deep Sedation

Deep sedation (RASS -4 to -5) is only indicated for specific clinical scenarios 3, 5:

• Severe ARDS with refractory patient-ventilator asynchrony
• Intracranial hypertension requiring ICP control
• Status epilepticus
• Neuromuscular blockade administration
• Profound hemodynamic instability
• Reassess daily whether deep sedation remains necessary 3

Analgesia-First Sedation Strategy

Pain Management as Primary Intervention

• Administer intravenous opioids as first-line therapy before any sedative, as pain and discomfort are the primary drivers of agitation in mechanically ventilated patients 1, 3, 2
• All IV opioids are equally effective when titrated to similar pain targets 3

Opioid Dosing Regimens 3

Opioid	Bolus Dose (IV)	Continuous Infusion
Fentanyl	25–100 µg	25–200 µg/h
Morphine	2–5 mg	2–10 mg/h

• Fentanyl is preferred for most patients due to rapid onset and short duration, facilitating frequent neurologic assessments 3, 6
• For neuropathic pain, add oral gabapentin or carbamazepine to opioid therapy 3

Non-Opioid Adjuncts

Consider adding to reduce total opioid requirements and opioid-related adverse effects 3:

• IV acetaminophen
• COX inhibitors
• IV ketamine (low-dose)

Before Adding Sedatives

Identify and treat underlying causes of agitation first 3, 2:

• Pain (inadequate analgesia)
• Delirium
• Hypoxemia
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypotension
• Alcohol or drug withdrawal
• Implement non-pharmacologic measures: patient comfort optimization, frequent reorientation, sleep-friendly environment 3, 2

Sedative Agent Selection and Dosing

First-Line Sedatives (After Adequate Analgesia)

Propofol 1, 3, 2

• Loading dose: 5 µg/kg/min for 5 minutes (avoid in hypotension-prone patients)
• Maintenance dose: 5–50 µg/kg/min, titrated to target RASS
• Onset: 1–2 minutes; Half-life: 3–12 hours
• Advantages: Rapid awakening, facilitates frequent neurologic assessments, preferred for post-cardiac surgery patients
• Adverse effects: Injection pain, hypotension, respiratory depression, hypertriglyceridemia, pancreatitis, propofol infusion syndrome
• Monitoring: Check serum triglycerides during prolonged infusions (>48 hours)

Dexmedetomidine 1, 3, 2

• Loading dose: 1 µg/kg over 10 minutes (avoid in patients at risk for hypotension or bradycardia; loading dose often omitted)
• Maintenance dose: 0.2–0.7 µg/kg/h
• Onset: 5–10 minutes; Half-life: 1.8–3.1 hours
• Advantages: Cooperative sedation (patient awake but comfortable), minimal respiratory depression, useful during ventilator weaning, may reduce delirium prevalence compared to midazolam, opioid-sparing effects
• Adverse effects: Bradycardia, hypotension; possible hypertension with loading dose
• Special consideration: May be particularly useful for managing persistent agitation 7

Agents to Avoid

Benzodiazepines (Midazolam, Lorazepam) 1, 3, 2

• Avoid continuous infusions—associated with longer mechanical ventilation duration, increased ICU length of stay, higher delirium incidence, and long-term cognitive dysfunction
• Reserve for short-term use (<24 hours) or specific indications: seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndromes, status epilepticus
• Benzodiazepines are a risk factor for ICU delirium development 2

Sedation Management Protocols

Two Equivalent Strategies (Choose One)

Daily Sedation Interruption (DSI) 1, 3, 2

• Stop sedative infusions daily until patient awakens or becomes agitated
• Restart at 50% of prior dose once criteria met
• Reduces mechanical ventilation duration and ICU stay in medical ICU patients 1
• Benefits uncertain in alcohol-dependent patients or non-medical ICU populations 1
• May increase nursing workload 1
• Critical caveat: Brief DSI should not justify deep sedation for the remainder of the day when not clinically indicated 1, 3

Continuous Light-Sedation Titration 1, 3, 2

• Titrate sedatives hourly to maintain RASS -2 to 0 without daily interruption
• Decreases mechanical ventilation time (increases ventilator-free days)
• May not add benefit in units with 1:1 nurse-to-patient ratios or where sedation minimization is already routine 1

Both strategies are equivalent and superior to deep sedation protocols 3, 2. The choice depends on institutional resources and nursing workflow preferences.

Protocol Implementation

• Use sedation treatment algorithms—targeted sedation goals are most frequently achieved when algorithms are employed 8
• Despite perceived use of 66%, actual daily sedation interruption occurs in only 36% of patients, indicating an implementation gap 8
• Educational interventions can decrease sedation-related adverse events 7

Delirium Management

• Screen for delirium using CAM-ICU at least daily 3
• Dexmedetomidine may have lower delirium prevalence compared to midazolam 1
• Light sedation enables better delirium assessment compared to deep sedation 3, 2
• Avoid benzodiazepines, as they increase delirium risk 2

Weaning and Extubation Planning

• Light sedation (RASS -2 to 0) enables patient self-report of pain, assessment of ventilator-weaning readiness, and early mobilization 3
• Propofol's rapid offset (5–10 minutes) makes it ideal when frequent assessments are needed for extubation readiness 6
• Coordinate sedation lightening with spontaneous breathing trials 3
• Integrate sedation management into the ABCDEF bundle for holistic patient care 5

Special Populations

Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients

• Use propofol over benzodiazepines—associated with shorter time to light sedation (≥30 minutes) and time to extubation (≥1 hour) 1

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) Patients 6

• Use analgesia-first approach with fentanyl (bolus 25-100 µg, infusion 25-300 µg/h)
• Add propofol or dexmedetomidine as needed
• Target RASS -1 to 0 to enable frequent neurological assessments every 4-6 hours
• Propofol's rapid offset is particularly advantageous for serial neurologic exams
• Avoid benzodiazepine infusions due to delayed awakening and impaired neurologic assessment

Monitoring and Safety

Cardiovascular Monitoring 6

• Monitor blood pressure continuously during sedative induction and titration
• Have vasopressors readily available (norepinephrine 0.1-2 µg/kg/min or phenylephrine)
• All sedatives cause vasodilation and hypotension

Respiratory Monitoring

• Maintain tidal volumes 6-8 mL/kg predicted body weight 6
• Target PaCO₂ 40-45 mmHg or ETCO₂ 35-40 mmHg; avoid hyperventilation 6

Metabolic Monitoring

• Monitor serum triglycerides during prolonged propofol infusions 3

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Using deep sedation without specific indication—deep sedation is common (64% of ED patients) but associated with increased mortality 4
2. Relying on benzodiazepines as first-line sedatives—despite guidelines, midazolam remains commonly used for long-term sedation in practice 8
3. Failing to implement sedation protocols—only 50% of ICUs use treatment algorithms despite evidence of benefit 8
4. Inadequate delirium monitoring—perceived monitoring is 25% but actual monitoring occurs in only 10% of patients 8
5. Adding sedatives before optimizing analgesia—violates the analgesia-first principle and increases total sedative burden 3
6. Using daily sedation interruption to justify deep sedation for the rest of the day—defeats the purpose of light sedation strategy 1, 3