Pediatric anesthesia and sedation.

Advances in pediatric anesthesia can contribute to improved care of children in other environments. As an example, drugs and dosages established in preoperative sedation of children provide a base for their application in sedation and pain relief of children undergoing painful procedures in the emergency unit, oncology treatment area, and radiology suite. Midazolam, ketamine, fentanyl, propofol, chloral hydrate, and pentobarbital are reviewed from the past year's pediatric literature. Adverse sequelae of sedation including hypoxemia and hypoventilation or apnea confirm the need for an individual whose responsibility is observation and support of the sedated child rather than performing the procedure, a principle that is the cornerstone of revised guidelines for the use of sedation in children. Monitoring techniques may similarly be developed in the operating suite then applied in emergency areas or critical care units. We examine a qualitative device for detecting carbon dioxide in the exhaled gases of an intubated child.