Sedation practices in patients intubated in the emergency department compared with those in patients in the intensive care unit.
Critical care science January 1, 2025 Jariya Sereeyotin, Christopher Yarnell, Sangeeta Mehta 5 citations
In a single-center retrospective study of 264 mechanically ventilated adults, those intubated in the emergency department took longer to reach light sedation (median 13.5 hours) than those intubated in the intensive care unit (median 10.5 hours). Within 24 hours, 68% of emergency department patients achieved light sedation compared with 82% of intensive care unit patients. Ketamine was used more often for intubation in the emergency department (61% vs 40%), while propofol, benzodiazepines, and fentanyl were used more frequently in the intensive care unit. Patients intubated in the emergency department were 36% less likely to achieve light sedation within 24 hours (adjusted hazard ratio 0.64).