Correlation between the actual sleep time 24 hours prior to an examination and the time to achieve chloral hydrate sedation in pediatric patients in South Korea: a prospective cohort study

PURPOSE: This study investigated correlations between the actual sleep time 24 hours prior to an examination and the time to achieve chloral hydrate sedation in pediatric patients. METHODS: With parental consent, 84 children who were placed under moderate or deep sedation with chloral hydrate for examinations from November 19, 2020 to July 9, 2022 were recruited. RESULTS: Patients' average age was 19.9 months. Pediatric neurology patients and those who underwent electroencephalography took significantly longer to achieve sedation with chloral hydrate. There was a negative correlation between the time to achieve sedation and actual sleep time within 24 hours prior to the examination. Positive correlations were found between the actual sleep time 24 hours prior to the examination and the second dose per weight, as well as between the sedation recovery time and awake hours before the examination. CONCLUSION: Sleep restriction is not an effective adjuvant therapy for chloral hydrate sedation in children, and sedation effects vary according to pediatric patients' characteristics. Therefore, it would be possible to reduce the unnecessary efforts of caregivers who restrict children's sleep for examinations. It is more important to educate parents about safe sedation than about sleep restriction.