Growth rates in pediatric diagnostic imaging and sedation

Ruth E Wachtel; Franklin Dexter; Angella J Dow

doi:10.1213/ane.0b013e3181981f96

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Growth rates in pediatric diagnostic imaging and sedation

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Growth rates in pediatric diagnostic imaging and sedation

Ruth E Wachtel, Franklin Dexter and Angella J Dow

Anesthesia and analgesia, Vol.108(5), pp.1616-1621

05/2009

DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e3181981f96

PMID: 19372345

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https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0b013e3181981f96View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Workload has increased greatly over the past decade for anesthesia providers administering general anesthesia and/or sedation for pediatric diagnostic imaging. Data from an academic medical center were studied over a 12-yr period. Growth in the number of children 0-17 yr of age undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computerized tomography (CT) scans who received care from anesthesia providers was compared with the increase in the total number of MRI and CT procedures performed in children. Anesthesia providers included anesthesiologists, residents, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and student Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Toward the end of the study, a team of sedation nurses was employed by the hospital to administer moderate sedation. They provided an alternative to anesthesia providers from the anesthesia department, who usually administered general anesthesia. Use of sedation nurses versus anesthesia providers, and the relationship to scan duration and patient age, were studied over a 6-mo period. The number of children receiving care from anesthesia providers for MRI and CT scans grew at the same 8%-9% annual rate as the number of scans performed. The percentage of children receiving anesthesia care did not change over the 12 yr. Creation of a nurse sedation team that provided moderate sedation did not alter the number of children receiving care from anesthesia providers but did increase the total number of children receiving hypnotics. Anesthesia was rarely used for scans shorter than 30 min in duration. Increases in scan duration were associated with increased utilization of anesthesia providers for both MRI and CT after stratifying by age. An age of 3-5 yr was associated with the highest rates of anesthesia care. Future workload for anesthesia providers administering general anesthesia and/or sedation for pediatric diagnostic imaging will depend on trends in the total number of scans performed. Workload may also be sensitive to factors that increase scan duration or alter the percentage of patients in the 3-5 yr age group. It may additionally depend on reimbursements from insurance companies.

Academic Medical Centers - statistics & numerical data

Age Distribution

Anesthesia, General - utilization

Humans

Child, Preschool

Personnel Staffing and Scheduling - utilization

Conscious Sedation - utilization

Infant

Patient Care Team - utilization

Internship and Residency - statistics & numerical data

Anesthesia Department, Hospital - utilization

Workload - statistics & numerical data

Pediatrics - statistics & numerical data

Time Factors

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - utilization

Adolescent

Nurse Anesthetists - utilization

Tomography, X-Ray Computed - utilization

Child

Infant, Newborn

Details

Title: Subtitle: Growth rates in pediatric diagnostic imaging and sedation
Creators: Ruth E Wachtel - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
Franklin Dexter
Angella J Dow
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Anesthesia and analgesia, Vol.108(5), pp.1616-1621
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e3181981f96
PMID: 19372345
ISSN: 0003-2999
eISSN: 1526-7598
Language: English
Date published: 05/2009
Academic Unit: Health Management and Policy; Anesthesia
Record Identifier: 9983806399702771

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