An Evidence-Based Approach To Pediatric Procedural Sedation

Elikashvili, Inna DO
Vella, Adam E. MD, FAAP
Connor, Patrick MD, FAAEM
Hutchison, George R. MD
Whiteman, Paula MD, FACEP, FAAP

¹Fellow, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
²Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Medical Education, Director Of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
³Assistant Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
⁴Medical Director, Emergency Department, St. Vincent Medical Center, Little Rock, AR
⁵Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center; Attending Physician, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
⁶Authors
⁷Peer Reviewers

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice 9(8):p 1-15, August 2012.

Abstract

Children present a unique challenge when it comes to procedural sedation in the emergency department. For pediatric patients, sedation may be required to facilitate cooperation during a procedure that would not typically require sedation in an adult patient. The amnestic, anxiolytic, and analgesic properties of procedural sedation agents must be weighed against their potential side-effect profiles. The ideal agent should have a favorable safety profile, be quick and easy to administer, provide adequate length and depth of sedation, and result in a relatively rapid return to baseline. An evidence-based evaluation of various agents of procedural sedation is presented in this review.