British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2001, Vol. 87, No. 2 183-185
© 2001 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
Editorial |
Editorial II
Sedation and analgesiawhich way is best?
Practices vary in many areas of patient care, but one with a large degree of variability is the use of drugs to make patients comfortablesedation and analgesia. Sedation and analgesia are common practice, with over 90% of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) needing them,1 and costing 0.81.2 billion dollars in 1997.2 The drugs used are potentially dangerous. Not only do they act on the central nervous system to reduce pain and suffering, but they also have many other effects.3 These effects are widespread and as yet poorly understood; an example is their effect on the immune system.46 What is clear is that if used carelessly, these drugs are a cause of morbidity, mortality and increased costs.
In these days of evidenced-based medicine, what is surprising is the large
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