Successful sedation of pediatric patients via chloral hydrate during diagnostic studies

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients’ movements often need to be restrained to obtain high-quality diagnostic images. Chloral hydrate is the primary agent for pediatric sedation prior to diagnostic studies in some countries. However, because of the agent’s long half-life, the need for augmentation must be minimized by ensuring the success of the initial dose. This study aimed to identify factors influencing sedation success rate and sedation duration. METHODS: Pediatric patients’ age, sex, and dose according to body weight, type of clinic, duration of stay, and weight-for-age percentile were analyzed in univariate and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the total of 1590 patients, 1325 (82.7%) were successfully sedated. Predictors of successful sedation were a minimum dosage of 60 mg/kg and a younger age. Early sedation (mean − 1 standard deviation, <18 min) occurred in 10.9% of the pediatric patients who were successfully sedated. For this value, visits to emergency center B (adjusted odds ratio, 2.673; 95% confidence interval, 1.660–4.305) and visits during daytime hours appeared to be influencing factors. CONCLUSION: For safe and successful pediatric sedation, the child’s age and appropriate dose must be thoroughly reviewed, and a quiet and secluded environment must be ensured. Furthermore, taking into account that the patient’s age and developmental stage can affect induction time, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary augmentation