Stressful experiences in relation to depth of sedation in mechanically ventilated patients.

Karin Samuelson, Dag Lundberg, Bengt Fridlund

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

n mechanically ventilated patients, sedatives and analgesics are commonly used to ensure comfort, but there is no documented knowledge about the impact of depth of sedation on patients' perception of discomfort. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the relationship between stressful experiences and intensive care sedation, including the depth of sedation. During 18 months, 313 intubated mechanically ventilated adults admitted to two general intensive care units (ICU) for more than 24 h were included. Patients (n= 250) were interviewed on the general ward 5 days after ICU discharge using the ICU Stressful Experiences Questionnaire. Patient data including sedation scores as measured by the Motor Activity Assessment Scale (MAAS) were collected from hospital records after the interview. Of the 206 patients with memories of the intensive care, 82% remembered at least one experience as quite a bit or extremely bothersome. Multivariate analyses showed that higher proportion of MAAS score 3 (indicating more periods of wakefulness), longer ICU stay and being admitted emergent were factors associated with remembering stressful experiences of the ICU as more bothersome. The findings indicate that the depth of sedation has an impact on patients' perception of stressful experiences and that light sedation compared with heavy seems to increase the risk of perceiving experiences in the ICU as more bothersome. In reducing discomfort, depth of sedation and patient comfort should be assessed regularly, non-pharmacological interventions taken into account and the use of sedatives and analgesics adapted to the individual requirements of the patient
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)93-104
JournalNursing in critical care
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Bibliographical note

The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (013230022), Division of Nursing (Closed 2012) (013065000)

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Nursing
  • Anesthesiology and Intensive Care

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