Some experience of the use of etomidate in children.

Etomidate 0.2 mg/kg was used as an intravenous hypnotic to induce anesthesia in 198 children. If proved to be a safe and effective agent, with no appreciable side-effects on the cardiovascular or respiratory systems. The main problems in use were a high incidence (27%) of pain after injection, and a 10% incidence of significant myoclonia. In addition, 0.2 mg/kg was assessed as an inadequate induction dose of etomidate in unpremedicated children.