Deep Sedation in Pediatric Patients With Single Ventricle Physiology Outside of the Operating Room

Background: Advancements in palliative surgery of patients with single ventricle physiology have led to an increase in the need for deep sedation protocols for painful procedures. However, positive pressure ventilation during anesthesia can result in unfavorable cardiopulmonary interactions. This patient population may benefit from sedation from these painful procedures. Methods: This study aims to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of deep sedation by pediatric intensivists outside the operating room for children with single ventricle physiology. This is a single-center, retrospective chart review on consecutive pediatric patients with single ventricle physiology who received deep sedation performed by pediatric intensivists between 2013 and 2020. Results: Thirty-three sedations were performed on 27 unique patients. The median age was 3.7 years (25th%-75th%: 2.1-15.6). The majority of the sedations, 88% (29/33), were done on children with Fontan physiology and 12% (4/33) were status-post superior cavopulmonary anastomosis. The primary cardiac defect was hypoplastic left heart in 63% (17/27) of all sedation procedures. There were 24 chest tube placements and 9 cardioversions. Ketamine alone [median dose 1.5 mg/kg (range 0.8-3.7)], ketamine [median dose 1 mg/kg (range 0.1-2.1)] with propofol [median dose 2.3 mg/kg (range 0.7-3.8)], and ketamine [median dose 1.5 mg/kg (range 0.4-3.0)] with morphine [median dose 0.06 mg/kg (range 0.03-0.20)] were the most common sedation regimens used. Adverse events (AEs) occurred in 4 patients (15%), three of which were transient AEs. All sedation encounters were successfully completed. Conclusion: Procedural deep sedation can be safely and effectively administered to single ventricle patients by intensivist-led sedation teams in selective case.