Usability of dexmedetomidine for deep sedation in infants and small children with respiratory morbidities

Children with respiratory morbidities are at increased risk of developing adverse respiratory events while undergoing deep sedation. Dexmedetomidine possesses sedative properties with minimal respiratory depression. This report aimed to determine the usability of dexmedetomidine in children with significant respiratory morbidities who require deep sedation.Medical records of children with ASA classification III who had at least three characteristics of respiratory morbidities and who received dexmedetomidine sedation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between January 2014 and May 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Dexmedetomidine was administered as a bolus of 1 μg/kg over 10 min followed by 1 μg/kg/h infusion. If necessary, an additional bolus dose was given and the infusion rate was increased to 2 μg/kg/h. Respiratory morbidities, haemodynamic parameters, total dexmedetomidine dose, adverse cardiorespiratory events and sedation characteristics were analysed.Nineteen out of 642 children who underwent MRI were eligible for evaluation. Seventeen children (89%) had at least four characteristics of respiratory morbidities. The median [IQR] age was 9 months [3.5-14]. All patients completed MRI scans while breathing spontaneously via the native airway. No episodes of adverse respiratory events or haemodynamic instability were observed. Children who were administered a lower dexmedetomidine dose and had a shorter sedation time were more likely to be younger than 1 year of age.These data demonstrate that dexmedetomidine deep sedation was well-tolerated in children with significant respiratory morbidities. Moreover, children younger than 1 year of age were administered lower dexmedetomidine dose than children older than 1 year of age for the same sedation level.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02555605.