Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital

Analgesia and sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU) are important therapeutic modalities that are often handled as afterthoughts rather than integral parts of the overall care of the patient. Interviews of patients after discharge from the ICU have shown pain and anxiety to be among the most distressing recollections. Physiologically, modulating pain with the use of analgesics such as opioids is important, as recent work suggests that pain may influence immune function and coagulation, and may increase sympathetic outflow resulting in increased heart rate and myocardial oxygen demand.