Retrospective Evaluation of Ketamine-Propofol Combination for Procedural Sedation in Children Undergoing Biopsies

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of an intravenous ketamine-propofol combination (ketofol) for procedural sedation in children undergoing biopsies. In this retrospective study, the data collected from patients’ records included age, sex, weight, diagnosis, procedure length, time to sedation, total ketofol dose, recovery time, total sedation time, and adverse effects. A total of 80 patients (40 females and 40 males) received ketofol for sedation for biopsies performed over a 6-month period. The mean age of the patients was 7.4±4.6 years. The mean duration of the procedures was 14±3.6 minutes. The mean body weight of the patients and the average induction dose were 28.4±15.5 kg and 2±1.17 mg/kg, respectively. Patients recovered wrthin 13.9±5.8 minutes and the mean sedation time was 28.3±8.1 minutes. A total of 28 patients (35%) had adverse events, including nystagmus (n=20; 25%), transient diplopia (n=4; 5%), and unpleasant emergence reactions (n=4; 5%). None of the patients required an airway intervention or had hypotension or vomiting. Ketofol provided adequate sedation and patient immobility in children undergoing biopsies. We observed hemodynamic stability, satisfactory postoperative recovery profiles, without any clinically significant complications. Our data suggest that ketofol is an effective sedative agent that provides a safe procedural sedation in children undergoing biopsies. © 2016, Logos Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.