Pharmaceutical Agents
The ideal sedative agent should produce sedation rapidly and reproducibly. The level of sedation should be dose-related, predictable and the recovery time should be rapid. The agent should have a minimal effect on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and the therapeutic window should provide acceptable margins of safety.
This ideal sedative agent does not yet exist.
Learning Bite
When deciding which sedative agent to use the practitioner must consider their knowledge, training and experience of sedation and the different agents available; often the most appropriate drug is the one with which the practitioner is most familiar.