Inhaled Sedation in Critically Ill Patients

Justification: Isoflurane has recently emerged as an attractive alternative for intensive care unit (ICU) sedation. Due to their favorable pharmaco-kinetic and dynamic profile, this agent has been progressively introduced into clinical practice. Isoflurane has proven to be non-inferior to propofol in terms of efficacy and safety and it has been suggested that it may facilitate ventilator weaning. However, no differences in length of mechanical ventilation were found. These studies have focused on short sedation durations. In fact, long-term effects and outcomes associated with isoflurane for ICU sedation are not yet fully understood. Hypothesis: Inhaled sedation with isoflurane administered via the Sedaconda ACD-S system in critically ill patients leads to a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation at 28 days and a reduced length of ICU stay compared to intravenous sedation with propofol. Main objective: To compare the number of ventilator-free days at day 28 post-randomization between critically ill patients receiving sedation with isoflurane versus those receiving intravenous sedation with propofol in critically ill patients expected to require more than 48 hours of invasive mechanical ventilation. Key secondary objective: To compare the number of ICU-free days at day 28 post-randomization in both treatment arms. Secondary objectives: To compare time to extubation after sedation withdrawal, efficacy in maintaining a target level of sedation, compare the percentage of patients requiring one or more additional hypnotics, compare the incidence and duration of delirium at day 28, assess mental, cognitive, and quality of life status at 90 days post-hospital discharge between both treatment groups. Methodology: Phase IV, low-intervention, open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial with intention-to-treat analysis including mechanically ventilated patients expected to require a minimum of 48 hours of mechanical ventilation with a RASS score between -3 and -5. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive inhaled sedation with isoflurane administered via the Sedaconda ACD device (Sedana Medical, Uppsala, Sweden) or intravenous sedation with propofol. A total of 620 patients will be included from a pool of 22 participating centers.