ABSTRACT
Patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in the U.S. will likely receive
life support measures, which often include intubation and mechanical ventilation
(MV). Whether a patient is intubated simply to secure an airway or requires
additional positive pressure support to correct life-threatening hypoxemia or
provide adequate alveolar ventilation, it is likely that one or more analgesic
and/or sedative medications will be administered (1,2). This chapter will review the indications, goals, complications, specific agents, and monitoring
that encompass sedation in the course of mechanical ventilatory support.
