The addition of a dexmedetomidine infusion prior to our propofol MRI sedation protocol resulted in fewer sedation-related adverse events, particularly upper airway obstruction. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential for a reduction on adverse events with this drug combination.

Inhaled helium-oxygen improves the overall respiratory status of children with acute RSV lower respiratory tract infection. In patients with mild-to-moderate bronchiolitis (Clinical Asthma Scores of <6), the beneficial effects of helium-oxygen were most pronounced in children with the greatest degree of respiratory compromise.

Objective We sought to determine whether the combination of propofol and fentanyl results in lower propofol doses and fewer adverse cardiopulmonary events than propofol and placebo for lumbar puncture (LP) in children with acute hematologic malignancies. Design Randomized, controlled, double blind, crossover study. Setting Pediatric Sedation Program Patients Children with acute leukemia or lymphoma receiving sedation for LP. Interventions Each patient received two sedations in random order, one with propofol/placebo and one with propofol/fentanyl. The study investigator and patient/parent were blinded to placebo or fentanyl. Data collected included patient age and diagnosis, propofol dose and adverse events. Adverse events included oxygen saturation < 94%, airway obstruction, apnea, hypotension and bradycardia (< 5% mean for age). Logistic regression analysis was utilized to assess probability of adverse events and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank and McNemar’s tests were used for paired comparisons. Measurements and Main Results Twenty-two patients were enrolled. Fourteen patients were male and 8 were female. Each patient was studied twice for a total of 44 sedations. The median age was 5.0 years (range 2.2–17.2 years). All procedures were successfully completed. The median total dose of propofol was 5.05 mg/kg (range 2.4–10.2 mg/kg) for propofol/placebo versus 3.00 mg/kg (range 1.4–10.5 mg/kg) for propofol/fentanyl (p < 0.001). Twelve adverse events occurred in 11 of 22 patients (50.0%) propofol/placebo compared to 6 of 22 (18.2%) propofol/fentanyl (p= 0.02). The most common adverse event was hypotension. Conclusions The combination of propofol and fentanyl versus propofol alone for LP sedation in children with acute hematologic malignancies resulted in lower propofol doses and fewer adverse events.

OBJECTIVES: Intranasal, intramuscular, and intravenous (IV) dexmedetomidine routes have been used successfully for pediatric MRI studies. We designed this retrospective study to determine efficacy and safety of buccal dexmedetomidine for pediatric MRI sedation. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed of outpatient children ages 5 to 18 years who received buccal dexmedetomidine with or without oral midazolam for MRI sedation at a freestanding children’s hospital sedation program in 2015 and 2016. RESULTS: A total of 220 outpatient encounters received buccal dexmedetomidine for MRI. Mean age of the cohort was 10.1 ± 2.6 years (range: 5–18.7). Buccal dexmedetomidine dose administered was a mean of 2.20 ± 0.38 μg/kg (range: 0.88–3.19). Of the 220 sedation encounters, 179 (81.4%) patients had satisfactory sedation with buccal dexmedetomidine with or without oral midazolam: 84 had buccal dexmedetomidine as the sole sedative, 95 had satisfactory sedation when buccal dexmedetomidine and oral midazolam (mean: 0.33 ± 0.07 mg/kg; range: 0.21–0.53) were given together, 1 (0.4%) had satisfactory sedation when intranasal fentanyl and midazolam were administered in addition to buccal dexmedetomidine, and 35 (15.9%) required IV sedatives to achieve satisfactory sedation. All patients completed their MRI successfully except 5 (2.2%): 2 encounters were sedation failures, 2 IV sedations developed severe upper airway obstruction, and 1 IV sedation experienced MRI contrast anaphylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: In a selected population of pediatric patients, buccal dexmedetomidine with or without midazolam provides adequate sedation for most MRI studies with few adverse effects, but given a failure rate of almost 20%, modifications to buccal dexmedetomidine dosing should be investigated.