The management of many patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the intensive care unit for long periods (sometimes several weeks) raises fears of shortages for certain key molecules essential for intubation and keeping patients breathing artificial. We return below to the role played by each of these products.
Morphinic derivatives (Fentanyl type)
It is not morphine that is used in resuscitation or in the operating room, but much more powerful synthetic derivatives. " They have a double virtue: they are analgesics ( painkillers , Editor's note) and induce respiratory depression by acting on the spinal bulb, the lower part of the brainstem ", specifies François Chast, honorary president of the National Academy of Pharmacy and former head of pharmacy services at hospitals in Paris, Bicêtre, Hôtel-Dieu, Cochin and Necker. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it is an essential property:
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