No need for more propofol for MRI sedation in ADHD

(HealthDay)—Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) undergoing sedation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) do not have a higher dose requirement for propofol, according to a study published online July 22 in Pediatric Anesthesia.

Eimear Kitt, M.D., from the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., and colleagues examined whether children with ADHD require larger doses of propofol for MRI sedation. All billing codes for MRI brain scans were identified from the hospital's administrative billing database for children aged 5 to 12 years. The authors reviewed the sedation records for propofol dose, psychostimulant use, and prescribed dose. The dose of propofol administered to achieve adequate sedation was the primary outcome.

Data were included for 258 procedures, of which ADHD was documented in 49 (18.5 percent prevalence). The researchers found that for patients with ADHD, indications for MRI varied significantly, with "Behavioral" and "Neurocutaneous" being significantly overrepresented in the ADHD group. For all patients, the average sedative dose was 2.8 mg/kg². Among children with and without ADHD diagnosis, the sedative dose was similar.

"Our study illustrates that children with ADHD do not have higher sedative requirements to achieve a successful brain MRI," the authors write.