Monitoring of sedated pediatric dental patients.

The results of this study showed that children sedated with 50 mg/kg chloral hydrate and 25 mg hydroxyzine in conjunction with 40 percent nitrous oxide and 60 percent oxygen may have respiratory difficulties which are not detected by the traditional monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and skin color. The use of a pulse oximeter that noninvasively measures oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (SaO2) allowed earlier detection of respiratory distress, when correction was a relatively simple matter of readjusting head position. This combination of sedative agents was effective in managing two-thirds of the patients originally classified in a behavioral category of definitely negative. No children sedated with only 40 percent nitrous oxide and 60 percent oxygen exhibited respiratory problems, and over 80 percent of the patients classified in behavioral category of negative were managed effectively with this technique.