A national practice survey described neonatal sedation in 2007. It found frequent use but limited written standardization, without comparing patient outcomes between drugs.
Thirty-nine Malaysian neonatal intensive-care units participated in telephone interviews. Most reported sedation for planned intubation, and many also reported it for emergency intubation.
Only seven units had a written preintubation-sedation policy. Morphine and midazolam were commonly reported, and drug selection and administration methods varied.
The survey concerned reported unit practice in a particular year. It did not prospectively observe every intubation, randomize neonates, or establish the relative safety of morphine and midazolam.
A lack of written policy and an individual adverse event are different findings. For record review, examine urgency, indication, sequence of drugs, monitoring, and actual physiologic response. This historical survey can frame questions about standardization, but cannot establish present-day practice or determine whether a particular infant’s treatment met a current clinical standard.
Original analysis of the supplied journal article, identified as PMC4638092.