Pediatric Sedation for Transthoracic Echocardiography Study
Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati Project Commitment - $28,000
Primary Investigator: Jeff Miller, MD and Andreas Loepke, MD, PhD
Study Timeline: 2014-Present
Because they are unable to hold still during transthoracic echocardiography, many infants and young toddlers with congenital heart disease require anesthesia or sedation to undergo the examination; close to 1,000 are performed this way at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital every year. Since children go home immediately following the procedure, it is important to use the safest technique available. In order to achieve this goal, our study compares the effects and potential side effects of two different sedative medications in young children less than 24 months of age undergoing an echocardiogram. The overall goal is to improve the safety of these oftentimes repeatedly performed sedated procedures in young children with congenital heart disease.
General anesthesia has almost been eliminated from the Echo Lab. Kids are able to be sedated with a much lighter form of sedation and about 1/3 the hospital sedation/anesthesia charges.
