Patients requiring sedation.

Recent advances in the pharmacology of sedative drugs have expanded their use in the intensive care unit. Indications and endpoints for sedation, however, often are defined poorly and are difficult to assess. Nevertheless, the complications of sedative drug administration are real. New indications for sedation have been proposed in recent years, including enforcing sleep/wake cycles, manipulating cellular metabolism, and preventing myocardial ischemia. The evidence supporting the efficacy of these new indications is not yet complete.