Intranasal dexmedetomidine and rectal ketamine for young children undergoing burn wound procedures

Safe and effective methods for sedation and analgesia in pediatric burn patients are strongly warranted. This retrospective study of electronic health care records aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intranasal dexmedetomidine combined with rectal ketamine as procedural sedation for young children undergoing dressing changes and debridement of burn wounds. Documentation was analyzed from 90 procedures in 58 pediatric patients aged <5 years. Safety and efficacy of the method were assessed based on documentation for complications, adverse effects, pain level, level of sedation and preoperative and recovery time. All 90 sedations were completed without significant adverse events with acute airway management or medical intervention. The combination of dexmedetomidine-ketamine produced acceptable analgesia during the procedure and effectively relieved postoperative pain. However, the approach was insufficient for 7/58 patients (7.8%); these patients were converted from the dexmedetomidine-ketamine combination to intravenous anesthesia. In 23% of the cases an extra dose of either ketamine of dexmedetomidine was administered. Moreover, there were two cases of delayed awakening with recovery time >120 min. The drug combination intranasal dexmedetomidine and rectal ketamine is a safe and reliable approach for procedural sedation and analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing burn wound procedures, producing a clinically stable sedative condition requiring only basic monitoring.