WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What do I need to know about moderate sedation? Moderate sedation is medicine given during a procedure or treatment to help your child feel relaxed and calm. It may also be given to help decrease your child's movement during a procedure or treatment. The medicine may be given as a pill, shot, inhaled solution, or injection through an IV. Your child will be awake and able to follow directions. Moderate sedation can be used for procedures such as wound repair, fracture reduction, or a lumbar puncture. How do I prepare my child for moderate sedation? Your child's healthcare provider will talk to you about how to prepare your child for moderate sedation. He may tell you not to give your child anything to eat or drink for 8 hours before moderate sedation. You can breastfeed your child up until 4 hours before moderate sedation. You can give your child clear liquids up until 2 hours before moderate sedation. Tell your child's healthcare provider if he or she or she has any allergies, breathing problems, or heart problems. Bring another adult with you on the ride home to monitor your child for problems after sedation. A second adult can ride with your child in the backseat while you drive. What will happen during moderate sedation? A healthcare provider may place an IV in your child's arm or hand. Your child's healthcare provider will give your child enough medicine to keep him or her relaxed and calm. Your child's heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing with be closely monitored. What will happen after moderate sedation? - Healthcare providers will monitor your child until he or she is awake. Your child may need extra oxygen if his or her blood oxygen level is lower than it should be. Ask your child's healthcare provider before you take off the mask or oxygen tubing. As your child wakes up, he or she may cry or have difficulty getting comfortable. This is normal after moderate sedation. Speak in a quiet, calm voice to your child to help him or her relax. Your child may be able to go home after he or she is alert, can sit up, and talk appropriately for his or her age. This may take 1 to 2 hours after your child has received moderate sedation.
- Your child may be sleepy and need frequent naps after he or she goes home. Your child may be restless until the medicine is completely out of his or her system. Your child may also have a headache or nausea, or your child may vomit. You may notice that your child has problems with short-term memory for a day or two after moderate sedation.
Call 911 for any of the following: - Your child has trouble breathing.
- Your child cannot be woken.
- Your child has a seizure.
- Your child cannot talk, move, or see normally within a few hours of the procedure.
When should I seek immediate care? - Your child complains of a severe headache or dizziness, or cries constantly.
- Your child's heart is beating faster than usual.
When should I contact my child's healthcare provider? - Your child has a fever or chills.
- Your child has nausea or is vomiting for longer than 8 hours after procedure.
- Your child's skin is itchy, swollen, or he or she has a rash.
- You have questions or concerns about your child's condition or care.
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