Sedation and analgesia usage in severe pandemic H1N1 (2009) infection: a comparison to respiratory failure secondary to other infectious pneumonias.

Background: During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (pH1N1), patients requiring mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure received high doses of sedation and analgesia.

Objective: To examine sedation and analgesia use among patients with respiratory failure due to severe pH1N1 infection compared to other infectious pneumonias.

Methods: In this observational cohort study of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with respiratory failure, we compared doses of sedatives and analgesics administered to patients with pH1N1, non-pH1N1 viral pneumonia, and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to bacterial pneumonia, on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 of ICU admission.