Sedation and Analgesia for Procedures in Children

The management of acute pain and anxiety in children undergoing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures outside the operating room has developed substantially in the past 15 years. The widespread availability of noninvasive monitoring, short-acting opioids and sedatives, and specific opioid and benzodiazepine antagonists has enabled clinicians to administer sedation safely for procedures in diverse settings. The goal of procedural sedation is the safe and effective control of pain, anxiety, and motion so as to allow a necessary procedure to be performed and to provide an appropriate degree of memory loss or decreased awareness. This article reviews the current status of sedation . . .