Effects of nitrous oxide on diazepam sedation of young children.

This study was performed to test the hypothesis that nitrous oxide augments the effects of diazepam sedation of young children by reducing crying and movement and improving the overall quality of sedation. Twenty-four children (mean age of 32 months) were sedated on two occasions with two different treatment regimens. All subjects received a standard oral dose of 0.5 mg/kg of diazepam with and without nitrous oxide during each of two treatment visits. During one visit, the subjects received 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen for the first 20 min followed by 100% oxygen for the balance of the procedure and, during the second visit, the reverse regimen was used. All subjects were restrained in a Papoose Board (Olympic Medical, Seattle, WA) with an auxiliary head restraint. Successful sedation, as evidenced by lack of crying or movement that interrupted treatment, occurred in 83% of administrations. Vital signs remained essentially unchanged throughout all treatment with the exception of transitory elevation of the pulse and respiratory rates, which usually occurred when the mouth prop was inserted, local anesthesia was administered, and the rubber dam was placed. When the evaluation of the overall sedation was compared with and without nitrous oxide, it was better with nitrous oxide 56% of the time, worse 13% of the time, and the same in the remaining 31% of the comparisons. It is concluded that nitrous oxide may slightly augment the effect of diazepam sedation of young children, but it does not do so uniformly for all children receiving sedation.