Pediatric sedation options include laughing gas, oral sedation, and sedation under general anesthesia. These methods are used to calm children during medical procedures, with an anesthesiologist monitoring vital signs.
Sometimes a small child needs to be sedated, especially during lengthy or frightening medical procedures. For this reason, certain types of pediatric sedation or pediatric procedural sedation are available. Sedating children often involves inhaling gas, oral medications, or intravenous (IV) medications.
Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is one of the most common methods of sedation in children, especially in pediatric dentistry. During this sedation procedure, a mask is placed over a child’s nose and asked to inhale. The nitrous oxide gas is mixed with the oxygen and the gas is maintained throughout the procedure.
This is considered a conscious sedation procedure, as after inhaling the gas, the child is still awake, although usually much calmer. Inhaling nitrous oxide often has a very relaxing effect on most people. Some may even feel very lightheaded, hence the name “laughing gas.” At the end of the procedure, the nitrous oxide is stopped, but usually the oxygen is left on for a few moments.
Oral sedation may be another pediatric sedation option. It’s about a child swallowing some kind of sedative. This is often in a flavored liquid form, but can sometimes be a pill.
Similar to laughing gas, during oral sedation, the child is usually still awake, but much calmer. He will probably feel very sleepy, but will not be fully asleep. Most of the time this method of sedation allows the child to execute simple commands, or perhaps even to speak. Both during and after oral sedation, a child’s vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate, are usually monitored.
For more in-depth medical procedures that are time consuming, or possibly painful, some medical professionals may opt for pediatric sedation under general anesthesia. This is typically a surgical sedation method, meaning it is used during surgical procedures, but it can be used as a dental sedation. Children with severe dental phobias or those who require a great deal of work on their teeth, for example, may need dental sedation.
This is typically a type of intravenous sedation or IV sedation. The sedative will be injected directly into the patient’s vein, using a hypodermic needle. This will usually put him to sleep and he won’t be able to feel any pain or move. This type of pediatric sedation is also used when a doctor needs to fix a child’s broken bone. If the child wakes up during this procedure, he won’t be able to remember anything.
This type of pediatric sedation typically requires an anesthesiologist to be nearby. He will monitor the patient’s vital signs while being sedated. This way, he can tell if a child might be having an adverse reaction to the sedative and quickly remedy the situation.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
