A Retrospective, Single-Center Assessment of Changes in Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Management Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Recent studies have found an association between COVID-19 infection and deeper sedation in mechanically ventilated patients, raising concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pain, agitation, and delirium (PAD) management practices overall.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess differences in PAD management in patients without COVID-19 infection in pre- and peri-COVID-19 pandemic timeframes.

Design, setting, and participants: This was a single-center, retrospective, pre-/post-cohort analysis of mechanically ventilated adult patients without COVID-19 infection admitted to an ICU in Boston, MA. The "pre" and "post" groups enrolled patients in 2019 and 2021, respectively. All PAD data during the first 7 days of mechanical ventilation (MV) were collected.

Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was ventilator-free days (VFDs) during the first 28 days. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to assess VFD while controlling for confounders. Secondary outcomes included depth of sedation, total dose of sedatives, and in-hospital mortality.

Results: There were 339 patients included in the final analysis. There was no difference in VFD between the pre- and post-groups (22.2 vs. 22.6 d; p = 0.92); this was confirmed by multivariable linear regression (p = 0.91). Patients in the post-group experienced significantly deeper levels of sedation compared with the pre-group (58% vs. 53%; p < 0.01) within the first 48 hours of MV. The median number of Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale assessments per 24-hour period was greater in the pre-group (13 vs. 12 assessments; p = 0.02) within the first 48 hours of MV. There were no significant differences in total cumulative dose of sedatives or in-hospital mortality between the two groups.

Conclusions and relevance: This study suggests that PAD practices, including depth of sedation and frequency of assessment, differed between pre- and post-COVID-19 groups in patients without COVID-19. Outcomes including VFD, mortality, and hospital length of stay were not affected. Further studies are needed to understand the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PAD management practices.