Sublingual sufentanil for incident pain and dementia-related response agitation

Patients with moderate to severe dementia commonly exhibit agitation and aggression in response to personal care. Incident pain is a common factor underlying response agitation that in turn can obstruct the delivery of essential nursing care. Medications commonly used to manage response agitation have specific risks in patients with dementia. This report details the case of a patient suffering from severe dementia with incident pain and response agitation that remitted with the use of sublingual sufentanil, a rapid-onset and ultra-brief acting opioid analgesic.