Pain treatment in the ICU: intravenous, regional or both?

Adequate treatment of pain in ICU patients should be an integral part of ICU management, as inadequately treated pain leads to a series of complications that may counteract the success of ICU treatment. For continuous intravenous use we recommend sufentanil in a dose of 0.75-1.0 microgram kg-1 h-1 in mechanically ventilated patients and in a dose of 0.25-0.35 microgram kg-1 h-1 in intubated and spontaneously breathing patients. On-demand analgesia, administered via the intravenous or epidural route, may be an alternative to a relatively fixed continuous infusion of an analgesic drug, and in some ICU patients the transdermal use of opioids can be an alternative to continuous intravenous drug application or PCA. Increased sizes of the patch (25, 50, 75, 100 cm2) provide sustained transdermal rates of approximately 25, 50, 75 and 100 micrograms h-1 of fentanyl over a period up to about 72 hours. Patients with trauma to the thorax, pelvic fracture, or after major surgical interventions will be better managed by regional application of analgesic drugs alone or in combination with a systemic analgesic drug infusion. To achieve the best results it is necessary to be well informed and trained in the method, to know the advantages and disadvantages, the correct and modified dosages of the drugs used, and the indications and contraindications.