Premium
A randomised controlled trial of oral chloral hydrate vs. intranasal dexmedetomidine before computerised tomography in children
Author(s) -
Yuen V. M.,
Li B. L.,
Cheuk D. K.,
Leung M. K. M.,
Hui T. W. C.,
Wong I. C.,
Lam W. W.,
Choi S. W.,
Irwin M. G.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/anae.13981
Subject(s) - chloral hydrate , dexmedetomidine , medicine , anesthesia , sedation , placebo , saline , chloral , surgery , chemistry , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , pathology
Summary Chloral hydrate is commonly used to sedate children for painless procedures. Children may recover more quickly after sedation with dexmedetomidine, which has a shorter half‐life. We randomly allocated 196 children to chloral hydrate syrup 50 mg.kg −1 and intranasal saline spray, or placebo syrup and intranasal dexmedetomidine spray 3 μg.kg −1 , 30 min before computerised tomography studies. More children resisted or cried after drinking chloral hydrate syrup than placebo syrup, 72 of 107 (67%) vs. 42 of 87 (48%), p = 0.009, but there was no difference after intranasal saline vs. dexmedetomidine, 49 of 107 (46%) vs. 40 of 87 (46%), p = 0.98. Sedation was satisfactory in 81 of 107 (76%) children after chloral hydrate and 64 of 87 (74%) children after dexmedetomidine, p = 0.74. Of the 173 children followed up for at least 4 h after discharge, 38 of 97 (39%) had recovered normal function after chloral hydrate and 32 of 76 (42%) after dexmedetomidine, p = 0.76. Six children vomited after chloral hydrate syrup and placebo spray vs. none after placebo syrup and dexmedetomidine spray, p = 0.03.