Chloral Hydrate or Midazolam for Sedating Children
Chloral Hydrate or Midazolam for Sedating Children
A 2-year-old child is acutely admitted at night to a district general hospital following a prolonged focal seizure. A CT scan of the head without sedation fails as the child is too active and distressed, and as the on-call paediatric registrar, you are requested by the radiographer to prescribe a sedative. The NICE guideline for sedation in children and young people advises that midazolam or chloral hydrate can be used to sedate for painless procedures. You wonder which of these drugs is the most effective and safe and which has the least side effects.
Scenario
A 2-year-old child is acutely admitted at night to a district general hospital following a prolonged focal seizure. A CT scan of the head without sedation fails as the child is too active and distressed, and as the on-call paediatric registrar, you are requested by the radiographer to prescribe a sedative. The NICE guideline for sedation in children and young people advises that midazolam or chloral hydrate can be used to sedate for painless procedures. You wonder which of these drugs is the most effective and safe and which has the least side effects.
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