title: Issues concerning the sedation of children for radiation therapy.
abstract: Radiation therapy is a commonly used modality to treat certain pediatric malignancies. To optimally treat a child's tumor while sparing normal, developing tissues from both short- and long-term side effects, the child must be in a fixed and reproducible position on the treatment table. Many children, especially those under age three, very anxious children, and those who are developmentally disabled, may require daily sedation for a course of radiotherapy. Issues concerning the use of sedation, types of drugs used, and the nurse's role in the sedation process are presented in this article.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bucholtz
mesh_terms: D002370:Casts, Surgical; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives