The Optimization of Procedural Pain Control in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Patients

Randomised Clinical Trial of the Optimization of Procedural Pain Control in ICU Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of morphine 2,5 mg or morphine 7,5 mg iv during a painful and unavoidable intervention in critically ill patients.

In 2006, in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the St. Antonius Hospital an analgesia improvement program has been implemented. This program consisted of training of ICU nurses and intensivists using a hospital based standardized pain protocol, and systematic pain measurements in rest, rated by the patient himself whenever possible or otherwise by the attending nurse. This program has resulted in a reduction of severe pain levels (NRS≥4) in ICU patients in rest from 41% to 22%. In order to further reduce this percentage, a pain titration protocol is introduced in 2007. As no attention has yet been paid to intervention-related pain levels in these patients, in this prospective study pain control will be studied using different analgesic dosages of morphine iv (2,5 mg vs 7,5 mg) around unavoidable painful interventions within a pain titration protocol for pain control in rest.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients admitted to the ICU of the St. Antonius hospital, between 18-85 years old en weighing between 45-140 kg.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy/ breastfeeding
• Language barrier
• Known morphine iv allergy
• Comatose patients (cooled)
• Patients who are suspected to be brain-dead
• Unintubated patients on the verge of intubation due to respiratory insufficiency