The Effect of Ciprofol on Breathing Patterns, Respiratory Drive, and Inspiratory Effort in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Sedatives and analgesics are usually given for analgesic, anxiolytic, or sedating purposes for patients with critical illness, while they inevitably inhibit respiratory and circulatory function. Sometimes, patients receive deep sedation to induce hypoventilation or suppress spontaneous respiratory effort. The sedation level in clinical practice is usually assessed with subjective sedation scoring systems, such as the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS). However, studies have found that sedation depth based on RASS is not a reliable marker of respiratory drive during critical illness. In recent years, researchers have proposed to monitor the effects of sedatives and analgesics on respiratory indicators and to implement lung-protective sedation, such as P0.1, Pocc, Pmus, WOB, and PTP. However, different pharmacological characteristics, different depths of sedation, and different sedation regimens among different sedatives and analgesics make a great difference in their effects on respiration. Ciprofol is an analog of propofol, with increased stereoselective effects adding to its anesthetic properties, is increasingly used in the intensive care unit, but its effects on respiration are not well understood. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of ciprofol on respiratory patterns, respiratory drive, and inspiratory effort in mechanically ventilated patients.