The use of long-acting paralytic agents prior to post-intubation sedation in the ED did not increase the time to sedation administration compared with short-acting agents, according to findings published in Hospital Pharmacy. Brandon Knettel, PhD, and colleagues examined the difference in time to administration of additional sedation after a short-acting versus a long-acting paralytic among 387 intubated patients in the ED. More patients given the short acting paralytic received additional sedation within 15 minutes compared with those given the long-acting paralytic (46.9% vs 40.9%). When patients who did not receive additional sedation were omitted, mean time from paralytic administration to additional sedation in all patients was 20.03±18 minutes. “The use of long-acting paralytic agents was not associated with increased time to administration of sedation compared to short-acting paralytic agents,” Dr. Knettel and colleagues wrote. “There is an opportunity to reduce the time to sedation administration for intubated patients receiving both short- and long-acting paralytic agents.”
