Sedation monitoring falls into two distinct categories. Subjective observation of the patient has lead to sedation scores that are labor intensive, difficult to replicate, and yet easy to implement. Objective scoring using automated monitoring is in the early stages of development, and is relatively expensive. The relative merits of the methods currently available are discussed.
*Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Intensive Care Unit, South Manchester Hospitals NHS Trust, Withington Hospital, Manchester, UK; †Lecturer in Neurophysiology applied to Anaesthesia, The University of Manchester, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
Correspondence to Maire P. Shelly, FRCA, Intensive Care Unit, South Manchester Hospitals NHS Trust, Withington Hospital, Nell Lane, West Didsbury, Manchester, UK, M20 2LR; email: with.icu@smuht.nwest.nhs.uk
