British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol 77, Issue 6 731-734, Copyright © 1996 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
A. Mallick, S. N. Smith and A. R. Bodenham
Patients in the intensive care unit require large doses of
sedative/analgesic drugs to tolerate the presence of a tracheal tube and
other unpleasant stimuli. The ideal regimen for sedatives and analgesics
has not yet been found. We have investigated the effects of topical local
anaesthesia to the pharynx and airway on sedative/analgesic requirements in
30 ICU patients (25-75 yr old) with no obvious brain injury, undergoing
mechanical ventilation. Oral tracheal tubes were changed to a modified tube
which allowed instillation of local anaesthetic solutions onto the
pharyngeal, laryngeal and tracheal mucosa. Lignocaine 1% (5 ml) or 5 ml of
0.9% saline were instilled hourly for 12 h each for a total of 24 h, in a
double-blind, randomized crossover design. Baseline sedation was maintained
with propofol or alfentanil infusions, or both, which were titrated to
patient comfort and to maintain an optimum sedation score throughout.
Twenty-five patients completed the study. Mean total propofol and
alfentanil requirements were 766 (SD 524) mg and 17 (7.6) mg, respectively,
during 12 h of lignocaine instillation, and 1321 (862) mg and 25 (11.4) mg,
respectively, during 12 h of saline instillation. There was a significant
reduction (P < 0.05) in the requirements for both agents during the
period of lignocaine instillation.
CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS
Local anaesthesia to the airway reduces sedation requirements in patients undergoing artificial ventilation
Academic Unit of Anaesthesia, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX; Anaesthetics Department, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX; Intensive Care Unit, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
F Goncalves, M. Bento, M Alvarenga, I Costa, and L Costa Validation of a Consciousness Level Scale for Palliative Care Palliative Medicine, September 1, 2008; 22(6): 724 - 729. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. M. J. De Jong, S. M. Burns, M. L. Campbell, M. Chulay, M. J. Grap, L. N.B. Pierce, and T. Simpson Development of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' Sedation Assessment Scale for Critically Ill Patients Am. J. Crit. Care., November 1, 2005; 14(6): 531 - 544. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||

