Sedation and anesthesia for CT: emerging issues for providing high-quality care

Abstract

During the past decades, the use of CT to diagnose conditions and monitor treatment in the pediatric setting has increased. Infants and children often require procedural sedation to maintain a motionless state to ensure high-quality imaging. Various medication regimens have been recommended to achieve satisfactory sedation for this painless procedure. While the incidence of adverse events remains low, procedural sedation carries the risk of serious morbidity and mortality. The use of evidence-based, structured approaches to procedural sedation should be used to reduce variation in clinical practice and improve outcomes.