[Is your patient correctly sedated? Monitoring patients by means of the bispectral index].

The use of sedatives is relatively frequent in hospital care. However the evaluation of the effects of sedatives continues to be carried out in a non-standardized manner. There are two forms to do so, either by use of subjective evaluation scales like Ramsay or RASS, among others, or by means of an objective evaluation instrument, the bispectral index or BIS, produced by Aspect. BIS monitoring permits medical personnel to measure objectively the degree of anesthesia. This technology make it possible to administer an adequate anesthesia to patients and thus prevent unnecessary overdoses, since the evaluation scales are ineffective on patients treated with muscle relaxants. BIS is especially recommended for patients who have undergone neurological surgery since it is essential to maintain a high degree of comfort plus an adequate sedation in order to practice an adequate clinical evaluation, avoiding an inappropriate sedation which could hide signs and symptoms.