AN AUDIT OF ADVERSE EVENTS IN CHILDREN SEDATED WITH CHLORAL HYDRATE OR PROPOFOL DURING IMAGING STUDIES

We examined records of sedations provided by the paediatric anaesthesi ology staff for 455 children (ages 1 mo-17 yr) undergoing MRI or CT sc ans at our institution over a twelve-month period with regard to the m onitoring of adverse events: excessive sedation, agitation, vomiting, hypoxaemia, and major airway compromise. One hundred-and-thirty-one pa tients (29%) received chloral hydrate; 324 patients (71%) received pro pofol. All patients were monitored with continuous noninvasive pulse o ximetry and received supplemental oxygen via nasal cannulae. Of the pa tients who received chloral hydrate, 64 (49%) were over one year of ag e; of the patients who received propofol, 318 (98%) were one year of a ge or older. In the chloral hydrate group, 23 patients (19%) were deem ed excessively sedated and four patients (3%) were agitated; no patien ts in the propofol group experienced any of the adverse outcomes revie wed. Furthermore, no patients in either group had significant airway c ompromise and none was admitted to the hospital as a result of the sed ation.