Pain and sedation in the PICU

Abstract

All children who undergo pain and or anxiety in the course of treatment require adequate attention to alleviate their discomfort. There is a large number of sedatives and analgesics that can be used singly or in combination. In critically ill children, as opposed to stable children undergoing painful procedures, the issue is complicated by factors affecting organ failure, pharmacokinetics and tolerance as these agents need to be given, often in combinations, for prolonged periods. The possible combinations and their various uses in different situations in critical ill children in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) will be discussed here.