In critical care, many patients need strong medicines to keep them comfortable and safe while on a breathing machine. These medicines include sedatives (to keep patients calm) and muscle relaxants (to stop the breathing muscles from working so the ventilator can take over). While these medicines are lifesaving, achieving the exact right balance is extremely challenging.
If sedation is too light, a patient may be awake but unable to move or speak — a deeply distressing and traumatic experience. If it is too heavy, patients face increased risks of complications, prolonged time in intensive care, and slower recovery.
Two advanced monitoring technologies would ensure safer, more precise:
- BIS monitors measure brain activity and report in real time how deeply a patient is sedated.
- NMT monitors measure muscle activity and show how much the patient is affected by muscle relaxant drugs.
Together, these will allow bedside nurses to deliver exactly the right level of medication — not too much and not too little – keeping patients safe, comfortable, and protected from distress.
By improving precision, this state-of-the-art monitoring will enhance patient safety, protect against avoidable harm, and provide reassurance to families during some of the most critical moments of care. Approximately 100 patients each year at Basingstoke
Hospital will benefit from this technology.
Key Benefits
- Prevents Patient Distress – Reduces the risk of a patient being awake but unable to move or communicate.
• Safer Sedation – Enables accurate, real-time monitoring of sedation depth.
• Improved Recovery – Avoids over-sedation, helping reduce complications and length of stay.
• Protects Mental Wellbeing – Reduces risk of trauma associated with critical care awareness.
• Supports Nursing Confidence – Empowers bedside nurses to deliver safer, more precise care.
• State-of-the-Art Technology – Established in anaesthesia but not yet routinely available in critical care.