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A Comparison of Two Sedation Techniques in Children Undergoing Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)

Phase 1
Completed
Conditions
Heart Disease
Interventions
Other: Nasal Placebo
Other: Oral Placebo
Registration Number
NCT02250820
Lead Sponsor
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Brief Summary

The study will examine the quality of two sedation techniques (dexmedetomidine and pentobarbital) used for children aged 3 to 24 months who are undergoing a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

Detailed Description

Currently there are two sedation methods used for children less than 24 months of age undergoing transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

* One method provides sedation by mouth with the drug pentobarbital,

* The other provides sedation through the nose with the drug dexmedetomidine.

The choice of which method is used is based on evaluation of the patient's medical history and the preference of the anesthesiologist. To our knowledge, no study has compared these two sedation techniques for quality of care. The proposed study will help us determine which method yields the best quality and will allow us to improve the healthcare experience of our patients.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
280
Inclusion Criteria
  • Outpatients, scheduled to receive sedation for elective transthoracic echocardiography
  • The subject must be a candidate for both anesthetic techniques. A staff member of the Division of Cardiac Anesthesiology will make this decision.
  • The subjects must be 3 months to 24 months (inclusive of the 24th month).
  • The subject's legally authorized representative has given written informed consent to participate in the study.
Exclusion Criteria
  • The subject has a history of cardiac conduction system disease (e.g. 1st or 2nd degree Atrioventricular block) or channelopathy (e.g. long QT syndrome).
  • The subject is taking digoxin, alpha-adrenergic or beta-adrenergic agonist or antagonist (e.g., clonidine, propranolol, albuterol), anti-arrhythmic medications, or vasodilators (e.g. ACE inhibitors) on the day of the study procedures. It is routine for children taking these medications to hold them on the day of their procedure, as requested by the clinical team.
  • The subject has received a dose of any other sedative within 48 hours.
  • The subject has life-threatening, medical conditions (American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status 4, 5). The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification scale is a measure of physical status or how healthy the patient is. For our study, we will focus on children which are defined as ASA I, II or III which means a healthy child (ASA I), a child with a systemic disease that is mild and well controlled (ASA II) or a child with systemic disease that is severe and controlled (ASA III).
  • The subject is allergic to or has a contraindication to any of the drugs or masking flavored syrup used in the study.
  • The subject has previously been treated under this protocol.
  • The subject has Trisomy 21 (exaggerated risk of bradycardia)
  • The subject has severe coarctation of the aorta (risk of exaggerated vasoconstriction)
  • The subject has Moyamoya disease (risk of recurrent stroke)

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Nasal placebo and oral pentobarbitalPentobarbitalIf the patient is assigned to the pentobarbital arm, they will receive pentobarbital through the mouth. In order to keep the assignment blinded, the patient will also receive an nasal placebo.
Nasal Dexmedetomidine and oral placeboDexmedetomidineIf the patient is assigned to the dexmedetomidine arm, they will receive dexmedetomidine through the nose. In order to keep the assignment blinded, the patient will also receive an oral placebo.
Nasal placebo and oral pentobarbitalNasal PlaceboIf the patient is assigned to the pentobarbital arm, they will receive pentobarbital through the mouth. In order to keep the assignment blinded, the patient will also receive an nasal placebo.
Nasal Dexmedetomidine and oral placeboOral PlaceboIf the patient is assigned to the dexmedetomidine arm, they will receive dexmedetomidine through the nose. In order to keep the assignment blinded, the patient will also receive an oral placebo.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Sedation Quality60 minutes

The primary outcome variable will be the sedation quality for the first 60 minutes after sedation drug is administered. It will be assessed if child is sedated within 30 minutes of administration of sedative drug, and if sedation is maintained for at least 30 minutes to allow a detailed transthoracic echocardiographic study. Sedation is defined as achieving Ramsay sedation level \>3.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Time to sedationParticipants will be followed for the time it takes to reach a sedated state, an expected average of 30 minutes

Time from first dose of sedative medication to sedation. Sedation is defined as achieving Ramsay sedation level \>3.

Delirium prior to sedationParticipants will be followed for the time it takes to reach a sedated state, an expected average of 30 minutes

The incidence of delirium prior to achieving sedation.

Duration of sedation level >3Participants will be followed for the duration of the procedure, an expected average of 1 hour
Need for rescue nasal DexmedetomidineParticipants will be followed for the duration of the procedure, an expected average of 1 hour

The incidence of need for rescue nasal dexmedetomidine, due to patient arousal or movement prior to completion of TTE.

Incidence-severity of respiratory complicationsParticipants will be followed for the duration of their outpatient hospital stay, an expected average of 2 hours

We will document the incidence and severity of respiratory complications (including supplemental oxygen).

Vital sign deviations of more than 30% from baselineParticipants will be followed for the duration of their outpatient hospital stay, an expected average of 2 hours

We will document the incidence of blood pressure or heart rate deviations of more than 30% from baseline. Baseline will be measured prior to sedative administration.

Post anesthesia drowsiness or agitationParticipants will be followed for the duration of their post procedure stay, an expected average of 1 hour

We will document the incidence-severity of post anesthesia drowsiness or agitation.

Duration of Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) PhaseParticipants will be followed for the duration of their post procedure stay, an expected average of 1 hour

We will document the duration of stay in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) phase in minutes.

Time to oral fluid intakeParticipants will be followed for the duration of their post procedure stay, an expected average of 1 hour

We will document the time (in minutes) to oral fluid intake during the PACU phase

Time to dischargeParticipants will be followed for the duration of their post procedure stay, an expected average of 1 hour

We will document the time it takes a patient to be discharged from the hospital after the completion of the TTE.

Satisfaction of the Parentsup to 3 days

The satisfaction of the sedation technique will be completed by the parents by asking a series of questions during a follow-up phone call the next business day after the TTE.

Sonographer PausesParticipants will be followed for the duration of the procedure, an expected average of 1 hour

The number of sonographer pauses over 2 minutes due to patient movement or medical intervention will be counted.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

🇺🇸

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

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