Strategies for preventing sedation accidents.

We have come a long way in sedation accident prevention, and we need to continue to improve. Although the systems approach has made flying very safe, accidents can and will continue to occur. Fortunately, when sedating a child, we can rescue the patient if we have the skills to do it. It is our obligation to provide the safety net needed to achieve the goal of accomplishing sedation safely, painlessly, and returning the child safely to a pre-sedation level of consciousness.