• Antonio Chiaretti, Franca Benini, Filomena Pierri, Katy Vecchiato, Luca Ronfani, Caterina Agosto, Alessandro Ventura, Orazio Genovese, and Egidio Barbi.
• Department of Paediatrics, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, Italy.
• Acta Paediatr. 2014 Feb 1;103(2):182-7.

AimThe aim of this study was to determine the safety and the efficacy of paediatrician-administered propofol in children undergoing different painful procedures.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study over a 12-year period in three Italian hospitals. A specific training protocol was developed in each institution to train paediatricians administering propofol for painful procedures.ResultsIn this study, 36,516 procedural sedations were performed. Deep sedation was achieved in all patients. None of the children experienced severe side effects or prolonged hospitalisation. There were six calls to the emergency team (0.02%): three for prolonged laryngospasm, one for bleeding, one for intestinal perforation and one during lumbar puncture. Nineteen patients (0.05%) developed hypotension requiring saline solution administration, 128 children (0.4%) needed O2 ventilation by face mask, mainly during upper endoscopy, 78 (0.2%) patients experienced laryngospasm, and 15 (0.04%) had bronchospasm. There were no differences in the incidence of major complications among the three hospitals, while minor complications were higher in children undergoing gastroscopy.ConclusionThis multicentre study demonstrates the safety and the efficacy of paediatrician-administered propofol for procedural sedation in children and highlights the importance of appropriate training for paediatricians to increase the safety of this procedure in children.©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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