Sedation for Imaging Procedures in Pediatric Patients, Current Status and
Problems in Japan : The Second Report, Based on the Responses from Pediatricians and Pediatric Surgeons

Kazutoshi Fujita, Noriko Aida, Yuta Fujii, Tetsu Niwa
Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center

Abstract
　Background : Sedation is important in order to perform good diagnostic imaging in infants and children. It was reported that sedation was performed mainly by pediatricians and pediatric surgeons in Japan.
Object : To clarify the current status and problems of pediatric sedation for imaging examinations.
　Materials and methods : We sent out a questionnaire to 483 institutes qualified to train pediatricians by the Japan Pediatric Society and 129 institutes qualified to train pediatric surgeons by the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons.
　Results : A total of 351 questionnaires were returned and the results were as follows. In less than 50% of these institutes, systematic education of trainees about sedation for infants and children was not performed. A variety of drugs were used, depending on the institutes or doctors. Safety management including preparation, observation and monitoring was not adequate in many institutions. The Guidelines for sedation of pediatric patients which the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Society of Anesthesiologists propose were not well known to Japanese pediatricians and pediatric surgeons.
　Conclusion : We found many problems in the management of sedated pediatric patients who underwent received imaging examinations. We also found the current medical insurance system to be inadequate for pediatric patients who required sedation for there examinations. The cooperation of radiologists, pediatricians, pediatric surgeons and anesthesiologists is necessary for safety the management of sedated pediatric patients.

Keywords：Conscious sedation, Diagnostic imaging, Pediatric patients