Prolonged Field Care Podcast

Prolonged Field Care Podcast: Sedation in PFC

Aug 15, 2025
Discover the critical importance of patient safety and comfort in emergency sedation practices. The hosts delve into decision-making processes for administering sedatives and the specific roles of medications like midazolam and propofol. They emphasize the need for daily sedation wake-up trials and the management of over-sedation through standardized communication methods. Additionally, learn how balancing sedation can minimize PTSD risks while ensuring effective patient assessments, all while keeping the top priority: keeping the patient alive.
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ADVICE

Prioritize Physiology Before Comfort

  • Keep the patient alive first, then restore perfusion, then relieve pain in that order.
  • Sedation may be necessary to maintain safety and provide amnesia during painful procedures or missions.
ANECDOTE

Virunga Crash: Ketamine For Airway And Delirium

  • Dennis described a crash in Virunga where a driver needed a cricothyroidotomy and became agitated during prolonged transport.
  • He used IM ketamine to calm the patient enough to secure the airway and later gave more to control emergency delirium.
ADVICE

When To Add Sedation Beyond Analgesia

  • Consider sedation when procedures, airway devices, or ventilation will make the patient uncomfortable long-term.
  • Add sedation for device safety during transport, in-flight disorientation, or when operational noise must be minimized.
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