Table 4

Mean percentage of hours of optimal sedation (intent to treat population)


Remifentanil (n = 77)

Fentanyl (n = 75)
P

Maintenance phase




     Median duration (h; range)
13.7 (2.7–73.0)

14.2 (0.3–73.3)
NT
     Mean (range) % of hours of optimal sedation
88.3 (0.0–100.0)

89.3 (32.5–100.0)
NS*
     Ratio of between-patient variability (fentanyl versus remifentanil)

1.09

NS
Maintenance phase (excluding the patient in the remifentanil group who failed to achieve an SAS score of 4)




     Mean (range) % of hours of optimal sedation
89.5 (45.2–100.0)

89.3 (32.5–100.0)
NS*
     Ratio of between-patient variability (fentanyl versus remifentanil)

1.84

0.009
Extubation phase




     Mean (range) % of hours of optimal sedation
87.7 (0.0–100.0)

95.5 (40.0–100.0)
NT
Postextubation phase




     Mean (range) % of hours of optimal sedation
92.3 (0.0–100.0)

95.7 (32.3–100.0)
NT
Post-treatment period




     Mean (range) % of hours of optimal sedation
92.6 (0.0–100.0)

91.6 (0.0–100.0)
NT

*Unpaired t-test on arcsine square root transformed data; F test. NS, not significant; NT, not tested; SAS, Sedation–Agitation Scale.

Muellejans et al. Critical Care 2004 8:R1   doi:10.1186/cc2398