The use of a sedation protocol did not reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation compared with usual care among children suffering from acute respiratory failure, according to a large multicenter study.
Researchers also found that sedation-related adverse events including inadequate pain and sedation management, clinically significant iatrogenic withdrawal, and unplanned endotracheal tube/invasive line removal were not significantly different between the 2 groups.
“Exploratory analyses of secondary outcomes suggest a complex relationship among wakefulness, pain, and agitation,” the authors concluded.
