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Mount Sinai Hospital Critical Care Research - Current Studies
SLEAP STUDY
(Sedation Lightening and Evaluation of a Protocol)
A Randomized Trial of Daily Awakening in Critically Ill Patients being managed with a Sedation Protocol
A multicentric PSI funded pilot study. P.I. Dr. Geeta Mehta
Site Investigator: Dr. Geeta Mehta
Site Co-ordinator: Carlos Martinez
Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) often require life-saving treatments such as mechanical ventilation and devices such as central venous catheters. To aid the healing process, facilitate the use of life-support technology, and relieve anxiety and pain, sedative drugs are commonly administered.
There is evidence that how much sedation we give, and when and how we stop it, are very important in determining patient outcome. Use of sedation protocols has been shown to decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation, promote the judicious use of therapeutic agents, reduce variability in prescribing and reduce sedative costs in critically ill patients1.
In the same way, daily interruption of sedative infusions, allowing patients to awaken daily has been shown to significantly reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and the lengths of ICU and hospital stay2.
The fundamental question that arises from these previous studies is whether patients managed with a combination of both of these strategies (protocolized sedation and daily awakening) have an even better outcome than patients managed with only a single strategy.
The research team at the ICU in Mount Sinai Hospital has a great interest in the area of sedation in critically ill patients, and is currently carrying out the SLEAP study, which is a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. This study is comparing in the setting of using a sedation protocol for mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU, if doing daily interruption of sedatives has an added benefit.
If you require more information about the SLEAP study, please do not hesitate to contact me at cmartinez@mtsinai.on.ca
References:
1. Brook AD, Ahrens TS, Schaiff R, Prentice D, Sherman G, Shannon W, Kollef MH. Effect of a nursing-implemented sedation protocol on the duration of mechanical ventilation. Crit Care Med 1999;27:2609-15.
2. Kress JP, Pohlman AS, O’Connor MF, Hall JB. Daily interruption of sedative infusions in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. N Engl J Med 2000;342:1471-7.