Sevoflurane in combination with esketamine is an effective sedation regimen in COVID-19 patients enabling assisted spontaneous breathing even during prone positioning.

Background: Effective analgosedation for control of dyspnoea and for toleration of prone positioning (PP) in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is difficult to adjust. This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of sedation with inhaled sevoflurane in combination with intravenous esketamine during PP in patients with COVID-19-ARDS (CARDS).

Methods: All mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients admitted to the departmental intensive care unit from March to June 2020 were included in this epidemiological cohort study.