Almost all children in PICU need analgesia and/or sedation.A therapeutic plan for analgesia and sedation should be established for each patient and regularly reviewed.The most often used sedation agents in PICU patients are Morphine or Fentanyl alone or in combination with Midazolam.There are several agents that have been used to provide sedation and analgesia in the PICU patient including benzodiazepines,opioids,ketamine,propofol,chloral hydrate,barbiturates,NSAIDs and paracetamol and α-adrenoreceptor agonists.This review described the various agents for sedation and discussed their advantages and disadvantages as they pertain to the PICU.Consequences of and treatment strategies for adverse effects with sedation and analgesia including respiratory depression,hypotension,withdrawal syndrome and propofol infusion syndrome were reviewed.