Cardiac arrest following ketamine administration for rapid sequence intubation.

Given their relative hemodynamic stability, ketamine and etomidate are commonly chosen anesthetic agents for sedation during the endotracheal intubation of critically ill patients. As the use of etomidate has come into question particularly in patients with sepsis, due to its effect of adrenal suppression, there has been a shift in practice with more reliance on ketamine. However, as ketamine relies on a secondary sympathomimetic effect for its cardiovascular stability, cardiovascular and hemodynamic compromise may occur in patients who are catecholamine depleted. We present 2 critically ill patients who experienced cardiac arrest following the administration of ketamine for rapid sequence intubation (RSI). The literature regarding the use of etomidate and ketamine for RSI in critically ill patients is reviewed and options for sedation during endotracheal intubation in this population are discussed.

Procedural sedation: A review of sedative agents, monitoring, and management of complications.

Given the continued increase in the complexity of invasive and noninvasive procedures, healthcare practitioners are faced with a larger number of patients requiring procedural sedation. Effective sedation and analgesia during procedures not only provides relief of suffering, but also frequently facilitates the successful and timely completion of the procedure. However, any of the agents used for sedation and/or analgesia may result in adverse effects. These adverse effects most often affect upper airway patency, ventilatory function or the cardiovascular system. This manuscript reviews the pharmacology of the most commonly used agents for sedation and outlines their primary effects on respiratory and cardiovascular function. Suggested guidelines for the avoidance of adverse effects through appropriate pre-sedation evaluation, early identification of changes in respiratory and cardiovascular function, and their treatment are outlined.

Sedation provider practice variation: a survey analysis of pediatric emergency subspecialists and fellows.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric emergency physicians use various techniques and medications when performing procedural sedation and analgesia. The goals of our study were to assess US pediatric emergency medicine subspecialists and fellows (PEMSSFs) for individual practice variation and to evaluate (1) the use of supplemental oxygen and capnography monitoring and (2) adverse sedation events (ADSEs). METHODS: A Web-based tool was used to survey and analyze data collected from a selected group of PEMSSFs, regarding their responses to 5 common sedation case scenarios, use of supplemental oxygen and capnography monitoring, and ADSEs. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between medication strategy and various levels of professional experience. RESULTS: Two hundred one surveys were received. One hundred ninety-five of these were eligible for the study: 140 from specialists and 55 from fellows. Respondents used multiple combinations of pharmaceutical agents to the scenarios presented. For some scenarios, statistical association was found between medication selection strategy and longer professional experience. Sixty percent of respondents do not routinely provide oxygen supplementation. Despite current guidelines supporting the routine use of capnography monitoring, 45% of respondents never use it. Adverse sedation event was reported in 17 cases; all patients were discharged with no further complications. A statistical association was found between years of practitioner experience and the likelihood of reporting an ADSE (P < 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: This group of PEMSSFs reported a wide spectrum of medication sedation strategies, dichotomous approaches to the use of oxygen supplementation and capnography monitoring, and a low rate of ADSEs.

Off-label and unlicensed medication use and associated adverse drug events in a pediatric emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to (1) determine the types and frequency of off-label (OL) or unlicensed (UL) medications used in a pediatric emergency department (PED) and before admission, (2) describe OL/UL-associated adverse drug events (ADEs) resulting in admission to the PED and those occurring during patient care in PED, and (3) determine the outcomes of these ADEs. METHODS: Medical records of patients 18 years or younger admitted to the PED over a 5-month period were reviewed. Off-label/UL use of medications was determined based on Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling. The Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale was used to determine ADE causality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 2191 patients with 6675 medication orders were evaluated. About 26.2% (n = 1712) of medication orders were considered as OL/ UL use; 70.5% (n = 1208) of these medications were ordered as part of treatment in the PED, and the remaining 29.5% (n = 504) were home medications before their PED evaluation. Inhaled bronchodilators (30.4%), antimicrobials (14.8%), and antihistamines/antiemetics (9.1%) were the most common OL/UL medication classes. The frequency of ADEs among licensed medication use was greater compared with OL/UL use by 2-fold. Reported overall rate of ADEs was 0.6% (n = 40). Of these 40 ADEs, 5 resulted from the use of an OL/UL medication, 3 from home medication use, and 2 from PED-prescribed medications. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of reported ADEs associated with OL/UL medications was less than the frequency of ADEs from licensed medication use, with overall ADE frequency of less than 1%.

Procedural sedation for fracture reduction in children with hyperactivity.

OBJECTIVE: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher rate of more severe injuries than the general population. However, their ADHD may cause them to respond differently to procedural sedation required for treatment. The purpose of this article is to compare procedural sedation for children with and without ADHD. METHODS: Retrospectively, 44 patients with ADHD and 41 controls sedated with fentanyl and midazolam for forearm-fracture reduction in the emergency department (ED) at a children's hospital were identified. Drug dosages, vital signs, and sedation scores were compared. RESULTS: Drug dosages, vital signs, and sedation scores did not significantly differ between cases and controls. Mean ED visit duration was significantly longer for patients with ADHD than for controls as was sedation duration. CONCLUSIONS: Children with and without ADHD were equally sedated with the same total drug dosages. The differences in sedation duration and visit duration warrant further investigation.

Adverse events in pediatric ketamine sedations with or without morphine pretreatment.

OBJECTIVE: To assess outcomes between 2 groups of patients receiving ketamine for procedural sedations in our pediatric emergency department. Our hypothesis is that there is no difference in the number of adverse events in ketamine sedations with and without morphine pretreatment. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of all ketamine sedation records over 15 months. The number and types of adverse events between patients with and without morphine pretreatment were examined. The numbers of adverse events in each group were compared using a z test. We also examined the possible influence of midazolam coadministration. P values were calculated using Pearson chi2 or Fisher exact tests. RESULTS: A set of 858 sedations were reviewed. Age, weight, and medication dosages were similar in each group. Twenty-one adverse events were recorded in the group of patients without morphine pretreatment. There were 13 adverse events in the group with morphine pretreatment. No significant differences were found for the number or types of events. There was no difference in the frequency of midazolam coadministration, Pearson chi2, P = 0.994, nor for the number of adverse events in each group, Fisher exact test, P = 0.465. The mean time from morphine administration to procedural sedation was 114.7 minutes. One adverse event occurred in the 15-minute or less time interval. CONCLUSIONS: We found no increase in the number of adverse events with morphine pretreatment in ketamine sedations for children. Prospective studies to validate these findings, including an effect of timing of analgesia administration, are warranted.