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Table 4 Mean percentage of hours of optimal sedation (intent to treat population)

From: Remifentanil versus fentanyl for analgesia based sedation to provide patient comfort in the intensive care unit: a randomized, double-blind controlled trial [ISRCTN43755713]

 

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

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