The practice of pediatric procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department.

The treatment of acute pain and anxiety in children undergoing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures in the emergency department has improved dramatically over the last few years. The availability of noninvasive monitoring devices and the use of short-acting sedative and analgesic medications enable physicians to conduct safe and effective sedation and analgesia treatment. In today's practice of pediatric emergency medicine, sedation and analgesia has been considered as the standard of care for procedural pain. The following article describes the basic principles of pediatric procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department.