Overdose and death from pediatric chloral hydrate sedation

Chloral hydrate 4 out of 5 stars Pediatric Chloral Hydrate Poisonings and Death Following Outpatient Procedural Sedation. Nordt SP et al. J Med Toxicol 2014 Jun;10:219-222. Abstract The medical use of chloral hydrate goes back to the 19th century. It is still used occasionally today for pediatric pre-procedural sedation. The risks inherent in this practice are illustrated in this excellent short article. The authors present a series of 3 cases of chloral hydrate overdose, —including 1 fatality — that all occurred within a 4-month period: A 4-year-old girl was prescribed 900 mg chloral hydrate by her dentist, to be taken at home without food in preparation for having a tooth pulled. One hour after the procedure she was somnolent but arousable and was discharged home. Six hours later her mother found her unresponsive and apneic at home. Return of spontaneous circulation returned in the emergency department, but the child suffered a subsequent cardiopulmonary arrest 12 hours after admission and could not be resuscitated. In preparation for a dental procedure, a 3-year-old boy inadvertently received 6,000 mg of chloral hydrate (instead of the prescribed 500 mg) because his mother had difficulty reading the dosing instructions. he became unresponsive in the dentist’s office. In the emergency department, cardiac monitoring showed ventricular instability, with bigeminy, trigeminy, and ventricular tachycardia with pulses. Ventricular instability resolved after treatment w...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical chloral hydrate overdose death fatality pediatric sedation Source Type: news