Oral chloral hydrate versus intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation of children undergoing computed tomography: a multicentre study
VMY Yuen1, DKL Cheuk2, TWC Hui3, ICK Wong4, WWM Lam5, MG Irwin5
1 Department of Anaesthesiology, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital
2 Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
3 Department of Anaesthesiology, Queen Mary Hospital
4 UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK
5 Department of Anaesthesiology, The University of Hong Kong
 
 
1. Intranasal dexmedetomidine at 3 μg/kg can be used as primary sedative for young children during non-painful procedures. The rate of successful sedation is similar to that achieved by oral chloral hydrate at 50 mg/kg.
2. Intranasal dexmedetomidine is associated with better acceptance by young children compared with oral chloral hydrate.
3. Adverse effects of vomiting and gastrointestinal problems associated with chloral hydrate sedation may be avoided with the use of intranasal dexmedetomidine.
4. The time to resume normal activities after chloral hydrate and dexmedetomidine sedation is similar.