[Rectal pentobarbital sedation for children undergoing auditory brainstem response testing]

The aim of our study was to determine if rectal sedation with pentobarbital sodium provides safe and effective sedation for children undergoing auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing.

A prospective study was conducted in the ENT pediatric department of Robert Debre's hospital (APHP, Paris). 68 children under 8 years of age were given rectal pentobarbital for ABR testing at a dosage of about 5 mg/kg.

61 children of 68 (89.7%) were adequately sedated with rectal pentobarbital. The mean elapsed time from drug administration to full sedation was 36,1 minutes. No adverse event was reported in 84.1% of children.

Pentobarbital provides safe and effective sedation. Rectal administration is easy, painless and with brief duration of action. It's a good alternative to general anesthesia for young children undergoing ABR testing.