Sedation in the intensive care unit

. Sedation is the reduction of irritability or agitation by the use of certain drugs mostly to facilitate therapeutic or diagnostic procedures. Scales for evaluation of the depth of sedation. Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale are the most commonly used scales. Drugs. Sedation is generally produced by using medications from the group of opioids, benzodiazepines, intravenous and inhalation general anesthetic agents, neuroleptics, phenothiazines, ?-agonists and barbiturates. Adverse effects of sedatives. Sedation is often associated with hypotension, prolonged mechanical ventilation and longer time on respiratory support, higher frequency of delirium, immunosuppression, deep vein thrombosis, increased risk for development of nosocomial pneumonia, all of which leads to the prolonged recovery time. Conclusion. Sedatives currently used in intensive care units are widely used, but they have limitations. The goal is to get the desired level of sedation with as few side effects as possible.