ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
International Analgesia and Sedation Weaning and Withdrawal Practices in Critically Ill Adults: The Adult Iatrogenic Withdrawal Study in the ICU*
Authors' conclusion
This international observational study found that a small proportion of ICUs use policies/protocols for opioid and sedative weaning or IWS, and even when these policies/protocols are in place, they are implemented in a small percentage of patients.
Study context
- Population
- Adult ICU patients (≥18 years) who received parenteral opioids or sedatives in the previous 24 hours
- Participants
- 1,506 patients · 229 ICUs · 11 countries
- Outcome
- Proportion of patients weaned from opioids and sedatives using an institutional policy/protocol
- Follow-up
- Data collection day
Methodological detailsinternational, multicentre, observational, ICUs selected 1 day for data collection between June 1 and September 30, 2021
- International
- Multicentre
- Observational
- ICUs selected 1 day for data collection between June 1 and September 30, 2021
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Patients with weaning policy/protocol used
176
12%
ICUs with a weaning policy/protocol
90
39%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome (IWS) policy/protocol use · data collection day
- ICUs with an IWS policy/protocol
- 23 (10%)
- Patients with IWS policy/protocol used
- 9 (0.6%)
Weaning policy/protocol content
- ICUs whose policy did not define when to initiate weaning
- 47 (52%)
- ICUs whose policy did not specify degree of weaning
- 24 (27%)
Use among patients in ICUs with a policy/protocol
- Weaning policy/protocol used
- 34% (176/521)
- IWS policy/protocol used
- 9% (9/97)
Use among eligible patients · data collection day
- Weaning policy/protocol used among 485 eligible by duration criterion
- 176 (36%)
- IWS policy/protocol used among 54 on opioids/sedatives ≥ 72 hours
- 9 (17%)
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →