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Oral chloral hydrate vs. intranasal midazolam for sedation during computerized tomography

Razieh Fallah1, Mohammad Hosein Ataee Nakhaei, Shekofah Behdad

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Research Center of Pain, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

Indian Pediatrics
|October 2, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Oral chloral hydrate is more effective than intranasal midazolam for sedating children during brain CT scans. Both medications demonstrated similar safety profiles, making chloral hydrate a suitable option for pediatric sedation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Radiology
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Sedation is crucial for pediatric brain CT scans.
  • Assessing effective and safe sedation methods for children is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy and safety of oral chloral hydrate versus intranasal midazolam for pediatric sedation during brain CT scans.

Main Methods:

  • A single-blind randomized clinical trial involving 60 children aged 1-10 years.
  • Participants received either oral chloral hydrate (100 mg/kg) or intranasal midazolam (0.2 mg/kg).
  • Sedation efficacy was assessed using the Ramsay sedation score (target: 4), and successful CT completion was recorded.

Main Results:

  • Adequate sedation and successful CT scan completion were achieved in 76.7% of the chloral hydrate group versus 40% in the midazolam group (P=0.004).
  • No significant difference in the frequency of side effects was observed between the two groups (10% for chloral hydrate, 3.3% for midazolam; P=0.34).

Conclusions:

  • Oral chloral hydrate is a safe and effective option for pediatric sedation during brain CT scans.
  • Chloral hydrate demonstrated superior efficacy compared to intranasal midazolam in this study population.

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