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Superiority of pentobarbital versus chloral hydrate for sedation in infants during imaging

Keira P Mason1, Pamela Sanborn, David Zurakowski

  • 1Department of Anesthesia, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. keira.mason@tch.harvard.edu

Radiology
|December 31, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Pentobarbital and chloral hydrate are equally effective for sedating infants for MRI and CT scans. However, pentobarbital showed a significantly lower incidence of adverse events and oxygen desaturation compared to chloral hydrate.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric imaging
  • Pharmacology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Sedation is crucial for pediatric imaging procedures like MRI and CT.
  • Oral medications are preferred for infant sedation due to ease of administration.
  • Comparing sedative agents is essential for optimizing patient safety and procedural success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the effectiveness and safety of oral pentobarbital versus oral chloral hydrate for sedating infants under one year old.
  • To evaluate sedation and discharge times, as well as adverse events associated with each agent.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review of 1,316 infants receiving oral pentobarbital or chloral hydrate for sedation between 1997 and 2002.
  • Statistical analysis using Student t test for sedation and discharge times.
  • Fisher exact test and logistic regression for adverse event rates.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in mean time to sedation or discharge between pentobarbital and chloral hydrate groups.
  • Oral pentobarbital demonstrated a significantly lower overall adverse event rate (0.5%) compared to chloral hydrate (2.7%).
  • Fewer episodes of oxygen desaturation were observed with pentobarbital (0.2%) versus chloral hydrate (1.6%).

Conclusions:

  • Both oral pentobarbital and chloral hydrate are equally effective for infant sedation during imaging.
  • Pentobarbital is associated with a significantly reduced incidence of adverse events, including oxygen desaturation.
Abstract

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