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Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing
Published in: Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing 4/2018

01-08-2018 | Narrative review paper

Inhaled anesthetic agent sedation in the ICU and trace gas concentrations: a review

Authors: Jennifer Herzog-Niescery, Hans-Martin Seipp, Thomas Peter Weber, Martin Bellgardt

Published in: Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing | Issue 4/2018

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Abstract

There is a growing interest in the use of volatile anesthetics for inhalational sedation of adult critically ill patients in the ICU. Its safety and efficacy has been demonstrated in various studies and technical equipment such as the anaesthetic conserving device (AnaConDa™; Sedana Medical, Uppsala, Sweden) or the MIRUS™ system (Pall Medical, Dreieich, Germany) have significantly simplified the application of volatile anesthetics in the ICU. However, the personnel’s exposure to waste anesthetic gas during daily work is possibly disadvantageous, because there is still uncertainty about potential health risks. The fact that average threshold limit concentrations for isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane either differ significantly between countries or are not even defined at all, leads to raising concerns among ICU staff. In this review, benefits, risks, and technical aspects of inhalational sedation in the ICU are discussed. Further, the potential health effects of occupational long-term low-concentration agent exposure, the staffs’ exposure levels in clinical practice, and strategies to minimize the individual gas exposure are reviewed.
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Metadata
Title
Inhaled anesthetic agent sedation in the ICU and trace gas concentrations: a review
Authors
Jennifer Herzog-Niescery
Hans-Martin Seipp
Thomas Peter Weber
Martin Bellgardt
Publication date
01-08-2018
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing / Issue 4/2018
Print ISSN: 1387-1307
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2614
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10877-017-0055-6

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