Pediatric Sedation Services
What Is Pediatric Sedation?
Sitting still, even for adults, can be difficult. For children who are undergoing medical procedures or tests, it can be very hard to remain still and calm for any length of time. To ease their anxiety, help them relax, and eliminate some pain and discomfort, sedation medicine is a helpful, safe approach. Most of all, it permits the physician and healthcare team to complete the procedure more efficiently, leading the way to recovery.
Hasbro Children’s Hospital offers a wide range of sedation services specifically for children. Because you know your child the best, our team of board-certified pediatric intensivists, certified pediatric nurse practitioners, and pediatric critical care nurses will work with you and your child to choose the safest, most effective sedation plan to allow timely completion of your test or procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Is Sedation Used?
Some common tests and procedures that may require sedation include:
- Medical imaging (MRIs, CTs, and others)
- Hearing tests
- Biopsies
- Lumbar punctures
- Minor surgical procedures
- PICC line placement
- Catheter placement
- GI tube placement
- Electroencephalogram
How Is Sedation Given?
Sedation is when a sedative, a type of medicine, is given to a child to calm them or make them sleepy. Your physician and healthcare team will review the methods and recommend one or more based on your child’s procedure and condition.
Sedation is delivered in different ways:
- Intravenously through an injection into a vein
- Intranasally sprayed into the nostrils
- Inhaled
- Orally taken as a pill or drink
- Intramuscularly given by injection into a muscle or vein
What Are the Side Effects of Sedation?
For most young patients who have been sedated for a procedure, the side effects are minimal. They may wake up feeling tired or have a headache. Although rare, some patients may experience nausea or feeling sick to their stomach. For most, side effects pass quickly.
Why Does My Child Need Sedation Services?
For the healthcare team, the goal of any test or procedure is precision while maintaining the comfort, as well as calming any anxiety or nervousness, of the patient. Hasbro Children’s highly qualified team considers the child's age, medical condition, and the procedure required, to determine if sedation is necessary. Parents/caregivers, who know their child best, will be part of the decision.
What Will Recovery from Sedation Be Like?
Once your child’s test or procedure has ended, they will spend 30 to 60 minutes recovering from sedation. We use this time to make sure your child wakes up from the medicine comfortably and can eat or drink a little before departing.
The sedation team will not know the results of your child's test or procedure. The physician who ordered the test or procedure will have the results. Typically, you will not have results before you leave.
What Should My Child Do at Home after Sedation?
Your child should take it easy after a sedation appointment, and plan to stay home and relax the rest of the day.
They should take all regularly scheduled meals, medicines, and naps, as well as stick to their regularly scheduled bedtime.
There is no special monitoring required after sedation once you’re at home.
The day after sedation, your child can go back to all their regularly scheduled activities.
Learn More
Physician Referral Required
If your physician recommends sedation services for the procedure or test your child needs, you will be referred to our services.
If you believe your child would benefit from sedation, consult your physician and request a referral to our services. They can call us at 401-444-6091.
Self-referrals are not accepted.