Is the Level of Sedation Depth in the Early Postintubation Period Associated With Worse Patient Outcomes?

The literature search identified 946 publications, of which 9 studies (n=4,521 patients) met the inclusion criteria. There were 2 randomized controlled trials, 3 prospective cohort studies, and 4 retrospective cohort studies. All studies were published between 2012 and 2017. The number of subjects in each study ranged from 37 to 1,884 patients. Two studies included data on emergency department (ED) patients, whereas the remaining studies investigated only ICU patients. Seven studies defined deep sedation as a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score less than or equal to –3, one study used a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score less than or equal to –4, and one used a GCS score of less than 9.

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