Intravenous doxapram for prevention and control of post-extubation laryngospasm

ABSTRACT

This work was designed to study the effect of I.V. administration of doxapram to prevent the occurence of post-extubation spasm in children.Two hundred children undergoing tonsillectomy were the subject of this double-blind study. One minute before extubation either 15mg/Kg doxapram [diluted up to 10cc. with saline] or 10cc. saline [as a placebo] was I.V. adminsitered. It was found that doxapram produced a very highly significant reduction in both the incidence and severity of post-extubation laryngospasm with transient significant increase in heart rate, transient highly significant increase in tidal volume and a very highly significant decrease in recovery period