Respiratory failure & ventilation
Evaluating sedation strategies in acute respiratory distress syndrome: A meta-analysis of inhaled versus intravenous agents
Pooled result · ICU LOSResult — go to the resultMD −2.07 days 95 % CI −3.72 to −0.41Authors' conclusion
Inhaled sedation with volatile anesthetics may offer advantages over intravenous sedation in reducing ICU stay and mechanical ventilation duration in ARDS patients. However, the associated alterations in gas exchange parameters warrant cautious interpretation.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Participants
- 1,349 patients · 7 studies
- Comparison
- Inhaled vs intravenous sedation
- Outcome
- ICU LOS
Methodological detailsrandom-effects meta-analysis, PRISMA, Risk of bias assessed with ROB-2 and Newcastle-Ottawa tools
- Random-effects meta-analysis
- PRISMA
- Risk of bias assessed with ROB-2 and Newcastle-Ottawa tools
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
MD
−2.07 days
95 % CI −3.72 to −0.41
P = 0.01
Inhaled vs Intravenous
MD −2.07 days (95 % CI −3.72 to −0.41); P = 0.01
Further pooled results
| Outcome | MD (days) (95 % CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration of mechanical ventilation | −2.62 (−4.48 to −0.76) | P = 0.006 | |
| −6−4−202Difference, days (linear scale) |
| Outcome | MD (95 % CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventilator-free daysSignificantly fewer VFDs with inhaled sedation | −1.82 (−3.41 to −0.24) | P = 0.02 | |
| −4−202Difference (linear scale) |
Mortality
- No mortality difference
- P = 0.18
PEEP on day 1
- Improved with inhaled agents
- P < 0.00001
Safety
Gas exchange: PaCO2 and arterial pH
- Increased PaCO2 with inhaled agents
- P < 0.00001
- Reduced arterial pH with inhaled agents
- P = 0.001
Original publication
Evaluating sedation strategies in acute respiratory distress syndrome: A meta-analysis of inhaled versus intravenous agents. J Clin Anesth. Published 10 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →