Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the management of analgosedation was characterized by the predominant use of targeted protocols that favored priority on mild and dynamic sedation in critically ill patients.

During the pandemic the percentage of ICU patients receiving deep sedation increased.

According to the physicians surveyed, this tendency to use deep sedation continued after the pandemic and was not always justified.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the widespread use of deep sedation strategies in patients with acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) due to viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

This practice continued after the pandemic, although 25.9% of respondents considered that the patients were sedated more than necessary during this period. Other studies have reported similar findings.

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