Stimulation of Critically Ill Patients: Relationship to Sedation.

Objectives: To describe the number and type of stimulation events and the relationship of stimulation to sedation level in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Methods: A 4-hour direct observation was conducted in 103 patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Stimulation events and sedation level before and after the stimulation were documented.

Sedation in adults receiving mechanical ventilation: physiological and comfort outcomes.

Objective: To describe the relationships among sedation, stability in physiological status, and comfort during a 24-hour period in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Methods: Data from 169 patients monitored continuously for 24 hours were recorded at least every 12 seconds, including sedation levels, physiological status (heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry), and comfort (movement of arms and legs as measured by actigraphy). Generalized linear mixed-effect models were used to estimate the distribution of time spent at various heart and respiratory rates and oxygen saturation and actigraphy intervals overall and as a function of level of sedation and to compare the percentage of time in these intervals between the sedation states.

Actigraphy: analyzing patient movement.

Background: Actigraphic data during simulated participant movements were evaluated to differentiate among patient behavior states.

Methods: Arm and leg actigraphic data were collected on 30 volunteers who simulated 3 behavioral states (calm, restless, agitated) for 10 minutes; counts of observed participant movements (head, torso, extremities) were documented.

Results: The mean age of participants was 34.