Dexmedetomidine and Chloral Hydrate Sedation on ABR Indices in Children

Background/Objectives: The study was aiming to determine the test-retest repeatability of DEX or CH as single sedative agents on ABR indices by analyzing data from initial test and retest. We also preliminarily explored the correlation between sleep deprivation and onset time of sedation in group DEX and group CH, respectively. Methods: We collected data from two groups of children sedated with either DEX (n = 20, 40 ears) or CH (n = 20, 40 ears). Paired- samples t-tests and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate repeatability between the initial test and retest. Pearson correlation analysis was used to measure the relationship between the average onset time of sedation and the average duration of sleep deprivation in both groups. Results: Within each sedative group, no significant differences were observed in ABR indices between the initial test and retest. Additionally, in group DEX, the mean onset time was 12.15 ± 4.40 min and the mean sleep deprivation duration was 442.80 ± 85.91 min, with no correlation between them (r = 0.01, p = 0.96). In group CH, the mean onset time was 27.55 ± 15.70 min and the mean sleep deprivation duration was 455.10 ± 90.94 min, showing a significant negative correlation (r = -0.97, p = 0.00). Conclusions: ABR indices exhibited high repeatability when DEX and CH were used as a sedative in pediatric ABR examinations. The choice of sedative agent in clinical practice should be individualized, taking into account institutional protocols and clinical requirements.