Description

The Brussels sedation scale can be used to monitor sedation of patients being mechanically ventilated in the intensive care unit. This can help avoid excessive or insufficient sedation of the patient. The authors are from Erasmus University Hospital in Brussels.


 

The sedation level is assessed every 4 hours.

 

Patient State

Level

unrousable

1

responds to pain stimulation but not to auditory stimuli

2

responds to auditory stimuli

3

awake and calm

4

agitated

5

 

where:

• The pain stimulus can trapezius muscle pinching or other physical noxious stimulus.

 

Score

Sedation

1 or 2

oversedation

3 or 4

correct sedation

5

undersedation

 


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