Chloral Hydrate to Study Auditory Brainstem Response

Chloral Hydrate (CH) is a sedative and hypnotic drug used in pediatric procedures owing to the low depressive effect it has on the respiratory and cardiac systems.AimTo assess the efficacy of the drug in performing ABR and to systematize its use.Materials and MethodsA prospective cross-sectional study with 41 children without history of heart or lung disease. The initial dose of CH at 10% was 50mg/Kg, with a boost dose of 6mg/Kg administered 30 minutes later in cases in which there was no sedation. Drug effectiveness was established by sleep induction by 1 hour after the administration of the initial dose. Sleep occurrence was correlated with doses (50mg or 56mg/Kg), age, weight and gender.ResultsAll the 41 children who participated in the study took 50mg/kgof the agent and 23 of them slept within 30 minutes, 2 had respiratory complications, 16 had the 6mg/Kg boost dose and 13 fell asleep after 30 minutes. The 56 mg/kg dose presented a statistically significant effect on sleep induction (p<0.05) when compared to the 50mg/kg dose.ConclusionCH produced a satisfactory effect with 50 mg/Kg dose plus 6mg/kg up to one hour after administration. Complications can occur regardless of the dose used.