RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To associate the sedation level, criteria for daily interruption of sedation and mortality of patients on mechanical ventilation in an Intensive Care Unit. METHOD: Prospective, longitudinal and quantitative study conducted with patients by using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, through a care protocol managed by a nurse at the unit for the daily interruption of sedation once a day. The Chi Square test was used to check the association between variables and the T test for independent analyzes. RESULTS: Participation of 204 patients. Most were male, surgical, aged between 40 and 60 years, in sedoanalgesia with fentanyl, midazolam and propofol, with sedation time of one to five days and average stay of 10.7 days. They were in moderate sedation and at high risk for mortality. There was a statistical correlation between death in patients in deep sedation, and sensitivity in relation to discharge from the Intensive Care Unit of those who underwent daily interruption of sedation and were reassessed daily. CONCLUSION: Daily interruption of sedation guided by the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale assists in the control of sedation, which favors the treatment and recovery of patients and guides nurses' decision making. However, in this study, it was not configured as an independent factor for predicting mortality in intensive care.