Randomized study of premedication for esophagogastroduodenoscopy in children and adolescents.

In order to compare three premedication regimens, 58 children and adolescents were randomized to three groups: Group I, meperidine intramuscular; Group II, atropine intramuscular and diazepam intravenous; and Group III, meperidine, promethazine, and chlorpromazine intramuscular. Almost all patients required supplemental intravenous diazepam or meperidine to obtain adequate sedation. An endoscopist without knowledge of the medication group scored each patient for adequacy of sedation. Sedation was more effective in Group III than in Groups I and II (p less than 0.005); however, Group III patients were less arousable at completion of the procedure (p less than 0.0005) and had a greater duration of sedation (220 min compared with 56 and 88 min for Groups I and II, respectively, p less than 0.001). Complications were minor and not associated with any specific treatment. The evidence from this study supports the following conclusions: (a) adequate sedation for esophagogastroduodenoscopy in pediatric patients requires sedation with more than one of the drugs used in this study; and (b) the regimen meperidine, promethazine, and chlorpromazine, with diazepam supplement, was superior in providing sedation, but patients required a longer period of recovery than did patients sedated with one of the other regimens.