Sedation Vacation
Sedation Vacation Blog
I did not know much about sedation vacation so it was interesting for me to read the blogs of other students. I also found an article that talks about educating the nurses. This article helped me understand this process and the reasons for it to be performed. Sedation vacation is also called daily sedation interruption and can be beneficial for mechanically ventilated patients (Hogue & Mamula, 2013). Critically ill patients often need continuous IV sedation with analgesia since they may experience pain from mechanical ventilation, suctioning, surgical incisions, catheters, etc. Sedation is required to assess patient’s neurologic status and determine the necessity for further sedation. Hogue and Mamula state that evidence based practice recommends interrupting sedation at least daily in mechanically ventilated patients (2013). Some of the benefits include the ability to accurately titrate sedation, which allows to reduce the time on mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, lower risk for ventilator associated pneumonia, etc. (Hogue & Mamula, 2013).
The article also suggests a short quiz on testing your knowledge about the Sedation Vacation. They did not provide the answers, but you guys seem to know so much about this intervention that you can probably figure them out!
1.How long should DSI last?
a.10 minutes
b.20 minutes
c.until patient follows commands
d.until patient exhibits agitation
e.c and d
2.Circle all common benefits of daily sedation interruption.
a.decreased length of time of ventilation
b.decreased length of ICU stay
c.increased sedation
d.decreased other complications, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and central line-associated bloodstream infection.
e.decreased anxiety
3.Which isn’t a potential adverse reaction to DSI?
a.psychedelic dreams
b.self-extubation
c.pain
d.anxiety
e.rebound agitation
4.DSI is better for acute posttraumatic stress disorder.
a.true
b.false
5.Do you think DSI is important for your patients?
a.yes
b.no
References
Hogue, M., & Mamula, S. (2013). Sedation vacation: Worth the trip. Nursing Critical Care, 8(1), 35-37.
