Unità di sedazione pediatrica: Per procedure diagnostiche dolorose

Particularly in tertiary care centres, there is an increased need for diagnostic procedures, such as CT scans, magnetic resonance, endoscopies, lumbar punctures, biopsies, etc., which require different degrees of anesthesia and/or sedation of the child to ensure safety and performance and to avoid unnecessary pain and discomfort. The limited availability of anestesiologists often represents a problem, leading to unnecessary waiting time. For this reason paediatricians and nurses with specific training in intensive care are increasingly involved in providing sedation for diagnostic procedures. Safety concerns have been voiced and discussed about the use of a variety of drugs and procedures. The Authors report their one-year experience in a tertiary care paediatric hospital regarding in-ward sedation for non invasive (such as diagnostic imaging) or moderately invasive (such as endoscopies and biopsies) procedures. Propofol was used for moderately invasive procedures. A small task force (2 paediatrician and 2 nurses) was established to ensure continuity and good performance. The experience has been satisfactory in terms of efficacy, safety and cost and has been positively evaluated by both patients and health professionals.