title: Use of intravenous methohexital as a sedative in pediatric emergency departments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of intravenous methohexital as a sedative in children undergoing emergency computed tomographic scans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  An urban pediatric emergency department at a level I trauma center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients receiving intravenous methohexital for sedation to undergo emergency computed tomographic scans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive data were generated, including demographics, doses administered, times of sedation, outcomes, and complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data are reported from a total of 55 patients. The doses administered ranged from 0.5 mg/kg to 2.0 mg/kg (mean +/- SD, 1 +/- 0.5 mg/kg). Onset of sedation was rapid (mean +/- SD, 1 +/- 0.4 minutes), sedation was brief (mean +/- SD, 12 +/- 5 minutes), and the mean +/- SD length of the drug's effects was 14 +/- 6 minutes. Sedation was effective in most cases, and only a few patients had complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravenous methohexital is a short-acting and effective sedative for use in pediatric emergency departments to obtain computed tomographic scans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, 91 E Concord St, Maternity 6, Boston, MA 02169, USA. Hanan.Sedik@bmc.org
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sedik
mesh_terms: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008723:Methohexital / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D008723:Methohexital