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Attitudes of children with leukemia toward repeated deep sedations with propofol

Egidio Barbi1, Laura Badina, Federico Marchetti

  • 1Pediatric Sedation Unit, Pediatric Department, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. ebarbi@libero.it

Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
|December 14, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric procedural sedation, particularly with propofol, significantly reduces fear and distress in children with leukemia undergoing repeated painful procedures. While most children benefit, a subgroup experiences sedation-related distress, necessitating targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Children with leukemia often endure numerous painful procedures, averaging 20 per illness course.
  • Repeated painful interventions necessitate effective pain and anxiety management strategies.
  • Psychological impact of repeated sedations in pediatric oncology patients remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess pediatric leukemia patients' attitudes towards repeated deep sedation using propofol.
  • To compare distress levels in sedated patients versus historical controls who underwent procedures without sedation.

Main Methods:

  • A questionnaire evaluated sedation-related distress in 30 children with leukemia receiving propofol sedation.
  • The Amended Observational Scale of Behavioural Distress assessed procedure-related distress.
  • A historical cohort of 39 children who had painful procedures without sedation was used for comparison.

Main Results:

  • Children receiving propofol sedation experienced significantly reduced fear and distress compared to the historical group.
  • 17% of sedated children reported fear of sedation.
  • 27% of sedated children exhibited distressed behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Propofol sedation is effective in mitigating psychological distress associated with repeated painful procedures in pediatric leukemia patients.
  • A subset of patients may experience sedation-related distress, indicating a need for tailored management strategies.
  • Further research into specific interventions for sedation-related distress in this vulnerable population is warranted.

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