SPS Newsletter

An official publication of the Society for Pediatric Sedation

An official publication of the
Society for Pediatric Sedation®

Spring 2018

Planning for the Future…
By Jason Reynolds, MD
SPS President

In the summer of 2015 a group of past, present, and future SPS leaders met in Atlanta for a pivotal meeting regarding the future direction of the Society.  This meeting was championed by the immediate past president, Trish Scherrer.  The goal of the meeting was to build on the progress from the first ten years as a Society by clearly defining our goals for the future.  One of th … [Read more...] about Planning for the Future…

Do You Know What I Know? Patient handoffs in pediatric procedural sedation
By Trish Scherrer, MD

While driving home after a long day in the sedation unit, a nurse’s cell phone rings.  She ignores it and keeps driving, but it rings again.  And again.  So, she pulls over to see what the call is about.  The number is for the observation unit, where the last MRI sedation patient of the day was transferred to finish his recovery and be discharged back to his care home.  When the … [Read more...] about Do You Know What I Know? Patient handoffs in pediatric procedural sedation

Don’t Hold Your Breath
By Laura Mitchell, CCLS

It has been well established that rhythmic (or controlled) breathing can be an effective non-pharmacologic technique for reducing procedure-related pain and anxiety. Controlled breathing can lower heart rates and promote vasodilation. (Tollison, 2002)  Bubbles and pinwheels are frequently used to demonstrate controlled breathing techniques for toddlers and preschoolers.  For s … [Read more...] about Don’t Hold Your Breath

Upper Respiratory Infections and Airway Adverse Events in Pediatric Procedural Sedation
Reviewer(s): Daniela A. Vidaurri, MD and Patricia Scherrer, MD
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

Authors: Mallory M, Travers C, McCracken C, Hertzog J, Cravero J Pediatrics. 2017 July; 140(1): e20170009 Abstract Background Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are associated with airway adverse events (AAEs) during general anesthesia. There have been no large studies examining the relationship between URIs and AAEs during pediatric procedural sedation. We hypothesized … [Read more...] about Upper Respiratory Infections and Airway Adverse Events in Pediatric Procedural Sedation

Variation in Pediatric Procedural Sedations Across Children’s Hospital Emergency Departments

Authors: Miller, Andrew F., et al. Hospital Pediatrics.  Vol. 8, no. 1, Dec. 2017, pp. 36–43. Procedural sedation is often required in the pediatric emergency department for a variety of chief complaints, including abscess incision and drainage, fracture reduction, laceration repair and burn management.  While there have been numerous advances in the field of procedural sed … [Read more...] about Variation in Pediatric Procedural Sedations Across Children’s Hospital Emergency Departments