title: Safety and efficacy of propofol administered by paediatricians during procedural sedation in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the safety and the efficacy of paediatrician-administered propofol in children undergoing different painful procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study over a 12-year period in three Italian hospitals. A specific training protocol was developed in each institution to train paediatricians administering propofol for painful procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, 36,516 procedural sedations were performed. Deep sedation was achieved in all patients. None of the children experienced severe side effects or prolonged hospitalisation. There were six calls to the emergency team (0.02%): three for prolonged laryngospasm, one for bleeding, one for intestinal perforation and one during lumbar puncture. Nineteen patients (0.05%) developed hypotension requiring saline solution administration, 128 children (0.4%) needed O2 ventilation by face mask, mainly during upper endoscopy, 78 (0.2%) patients experienced laryngospasm, and 15 (0.04%) had bronchospasm. There were no differences in the incidence of major complications among the three hospitals, while minor complications were higher in children undergoing gastroscopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This multicentre study demonstrates the safety and the efficacy of paediatrician-administered propofol for procedural sedation in children and highlights the importance of appropriate training for paediatricians to increase the safety of this procedure in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaretti
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benini
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierri
authors.forename: Katy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vecchiato
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ronfani
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agosto
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: Egidio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barbi
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000075202:Contraindications; D054810:Deep Sedation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000139:chemically induced; D007223:Infant; D007826:Laryngismus / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D015742:Propofol / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D015742:Propofol
keywords: Children; Pain; Procedural sedation; Propofol