Dexmedetomidine for Pediatric Procedural Sedation?

Oral chloral hydrate is a good option for pediatric procedural sedation, especially for nonpainful, yet anxiety-provoking situations. These authors in Hong Kong and China tested whether intranasal dexmedetomidine might have similar effects with quicker recovery.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, 196 children (age range, 2–79 months) who were being sedated for computed tomography scan received either oral chloral hydrate (50 mg/kg) plus intranasal saline or oral placebo plus intranasal dexmedetomidine (3 µg/kg) 30 minutes before the scan. Time to sedation, time to recovery, and the rate of successful sedation were similar in the two groups. More children in the chloral hydrate group resisted taking the oral medication (67% vs. 48%) a…