Clinical Outcomes Associated With Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Sedation in Children.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe the quality of sedation and additional clinically-meaningful outcomes associated with different intranasal dexmedetomidine-based regimens in children undergoing nonpainful procedures. METHODS: A multicenter prospective observational study of children aged 2 months to 17 years undergoing intranasal dexmedetomidine sedation for MRI, auditory brainstem response testing, echocardiogram, EEG, or computed tomography scan. Regimens varied by dose of dexmedetomidine and use of adjunct sedatives. Quality of sedation was assessed using the Pediatric Sedation State Scale and by determining proportion of children who achieved an acceptable sedation state. Procedure completion, time-based outcomes, and adverse events were assessed. RESULTS: We enrolled 578 children across 7 sites. Median age was 2.5 years (interquartile range 1.6-3) and 37.5% were female. The most common procedures were auditory brainstem response testing (54.3%) and MRI (22.8%). The most common dose was 3 to 3.9 mcg/kg (55%), with 25.1% and 14.2% of children receiving oral or intranasal midazolam, respectively. Acceptable sedation state and procedure completion was achieved in 81.1% and 91.3% of children, and mean time to onset of sedation and total sedation time were 32.3 and 114.8 minutes, respectively. Twelve interventions were performed in 10 patients in response to an event; no patients required a serious airway, breathing, or cardiovascular intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Intranasal dexmedetomidine-based regimens can achieve acceptable sedation states and high rates of procedure completion in children undergoing sedation for nonpainful procedures. Our findings delineate clinical outcomes associated with intranasal dexmedetomidine-based sedation that can be used to guide the implementation and optimization of such regimens.

Intranasal dexmedetomidine: an effective sedative agent for electroencephalogram and auditory brain response testing.

OBJECTIVE: Dexmedetomidine is an α2 agonist with sedative, anxiolytic, and analgesic properties. The intranasal (IN) route avoids the pain of intravenous (i.v.) catheter placement but limited literature exists on the use of IN dexmedetomidine. This study examines the effectiveness and safety of IN dexmedetomidine for sedation of patients undergoing electroencephalogram (EEG) and auditory brain response (ABR) testing. STUDY DESIGN: This was a review of all outpatients sedated with IN dexmedetomidine for EEG or ABR between October 1, 2012 and October 1, 2014. An initial dose of 2.5-3 µg · kg(-1) IN dexmedetomidine was given with a repeat dose of 1-1.5 µg · kg(-1) IN if needed 30 min later. Prospectively entered patient information was extracted from a quality assurance database and additional information gathered via retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Intranasal dexmedetomidine was used in 169 patients (EEG = 117, ABR = 52). First-dose success rates were 90.4% for ABR and 87.2% for EEG. Total success rates (with one or two doses of IN dexmedetomidine) were 100% for ABR and 99.1% for EEG. The median time to onset of sleep was 25 min (IQR, 20-32 min). The median duration of sedation was 107 min (IQR, 90-131 min). Adverse events included: 18 patients (10.7%) with hypotension which resolved without intervention, six patients with oxygen desaturation <90%, two of whom received supplemental oxygen, and one patient with an underlying upper airway abnormality who was treated with continuous positive airway pressure. CONCLUSIONS: IN dexmedetomidine is an effective and noninvasive method of sedating children for EEG and ABR.