Laurent Papazian, Jean-Marie Forel, Arnaud Gacouin, Christine Penot-Ragon, Gilles Perrin, Anderson Loundou, Samir Jaber, Jean-Michel Arnal, Didier Perez, Jean-Marie Seghboyan, Jean-Michel Constantin, Pierre Courant, Jean-Yves Lefrant, Claude Guérin, Gwenaël Prat, Sophie Morange, Antoine Roch
BACKGROUND: In patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), neuromuscular blocking agents may improve oxygenation and decrease ventilator-induced lung injury but may also cause muscle weakness. We evaluated clinical outcomes after 2 days of therapy with neuromuscular blocking agents in patients with early, severe ARDS. METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind trial, 340 patients presenting to the intensive care unit (ICU) with an onset of severe ARDS within the previous 48 hours were randomly assigned to receive, for 48 hours, either cisatracurium besylate (178 patients) or placebo (162 patients)...
September 16, 2010: New England Journal of Medicine