Sedating Children During Urodynamics Reduces Distress, Offers Alternative Method To Collect Results

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 19 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Being catheterized for urodynamics testing can be extremely stressful for children. While sedating children for testing reduces stress, pain and behavior problems, it is not practical or cost-effective to sedate all children. In their article, Heidi Sweeney and co-authors studied characteristics of children who require sedation. Results suggest age is predictive of the need for sedation in urodynamics studies, and children between the ages of three and seven are more likely to require sedation. Further research is needed to evaluate how sedation affects bladder function during urodynamics studies, say the authors.

Sweeney and co-authors went on to create a sedation service for pediatric urodynamics and describe their experience in a second article. A credentialed sedation and analgesia provider (SAP) is required to prescribe and supervise sedation, say the authors. A variety of sedation agents are available, including nasal and oral agents, minimal and moderate IV medication and general anesthesia.

The authors say pediatric urology sedation services offer an alternative method to collect quality urodynamics results. In addition, by screening children for sedation, pediatric urology programs can better allocate nursing resources. Sweeney and co-authors will be conducting future studies on other sedation methods that best utilize resources and comfort children.

"Identifying Characteristics of Children Requiring Sedation for Urodynamics; Creating a Sedation Service for Pediatric Urodynamics: Our Experience"
Heidi Sweeney, MSN, APRN, et al
Urologic Nursing; August 2008

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