title: Sedation practice for paediatric nuclear medicine procedures in Denmark related to EANM guidelines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to examine sedation practices for paediatric nuclear medicine examinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to all nuclear medicine departments in Denmark about sedation practices during 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 100% (18 departments). Three departments did not examine children at all. The total number of paediatric examinations among the remaining 15 sites varied from 20 to 1,583 (median 191). Sedation practice showed that approximately 50% of the sites regularly (>50% of the patients) used pharmacological sedation for renography in children aged 6-12 months and 1-3 years. A minority of centres (∼15%) regularly used sedation in children aged 0-6 months, and no sites regularly used sedation in children aged and 4-6 years. Similar findings were found for renal scintigraphy. However, one large site used no sedation in children aged 1-3 years for renography but approximately 50% of patients used it in the same age group receiving renal scintigraphy with SPET. There was a trend for reduced use of sedation with increasing total number of paediatric medicine procedures. The most frequently used agents were benzodiazepines and barbiturates. The most common route of administration was rectal, oral, and intravenous.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sedation practices varied considerably among Danish nuclear medicine departments. The sedation of children in clinical practice seemed to be more prevalent than is recommended by guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aalborg University Hospital, Hobrovej 18-22, DK-9000 Aalborg, Denmark. lajp@rn.dk.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Trine Borup
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Lars J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review