title: A survey of pentobarbital sedation for children undergoing abdominal CT scans after oral contrast medium.
abstract: Radiologists have traditionally been responsible for the sedation of children undergoing radiological investigations. Anaesthetists are becoming increasingly involved in providing sedation and/or anaesthesia in this environment. The sedation of a child for a CT scan who has recently been given oral contrast medium (OCM) may pose anaesthetists a number of dilemmas. This is a retrospective survey of 149 intravenous pentobarbital sedations administered by radiologists to children (age range three months to seven years three months, weight range 5 kg to 28.9 kg) undergoing upper abdominal CT after recent ingestion of OCM. The average patient received pentobarbital 4.6 mg.kg-1. 141 patients (94.6%) received pentobarbital as the only sedative agent, whereas eight patients (5.4%) required supplementary sedation (midazolam +/- fentanyl). There were no failed sedations. 36 complications occurred during 22 sedations (14.7% of total), with the most common being desaturation, vomiting, airway secretions, airway obstruction, coughing and bronchospasm.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sanderson
mesh_terms: D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D000776:Anesthesiology; D001986:Bronchial Spasm / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000009:adverse effects; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D007223:Infant; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D011871:Radiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D003287:Contrast Media; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D010424:Pentobarbital; D008874:Midazolam; D010100:Oxygen; D005283:Fentanyl