Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department

Cozzi, Giorgio; Zago, Alessandro; Poropat, Federico; Rabach, Ingrid; Barbi, Egidio; Amaddeo, Alessandro

doi:10.3390/children11070833

Open AccessCase Report

Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department

by

Giorgio Cozzi

¹

,

Alessandro Zago

^2,*,

Federico Poropat

¹

,

Ingrid Rabach

¹,

Egidio Barbi

^1,2

and

Alessandro Amaddeo

¹

Institute for Maternal and Child Health–IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34137 Trieste, Italy

²

Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Children 2024, 11(7), 833; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070833

Submission received: 11 May 2024 / Revised: 29 June 2024 / Accepted: 5 July 2024 / Published: 9 July 2024

(This article belongs to the Section Pediatric Mental Health)

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Abstract

Background: The treatment of aggressive behavior and agitation in pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the emergency department is topical and challenging. Case Presentation: We described an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder treated ten times in the pediatric emergency department for severe episodes of aggressiveness and agitation. After resolving the acute phase of these behavioural crises, sedation was maintained with a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine to prevent the resurgence of agitation and to organize discharge properly, considering the family’s needs. The continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine allowed the patient to remain asleep most of the time during his stay at the emergency department. No adverse events were recorded. Conclusions: The continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine could represent a safe and valuable tool to facilitate the permanence of the patient in the PED.

Keywords: dexmedetomidine; aggressivity; sedation; continuous sedation; pediatric emergency department

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MDPI and ACS Style

Cozzi, G.; Zago, A.; Poropat, F.; Rabach, I.; Barbi, E.; Amaddeo, A. Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department. Children 2024, 11, 833. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070833

AMA Style

Cozzi G, Zago A, Poropat F, Rabach I, Barbi E, Amaddeo A. Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department. Children. 2024; 11(7):833. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070833

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cozzi, Giorgio, Alessandro Zago, Federico Poropat, Ingrid Rabach, Egidio Barbi, and Alessandro Amaddeo. 2024. "Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department" Children 11, no. 7: 833. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070833

APA Style

Cozzi, G., Zago, A., Poropat, F., Rabach, I., Barbi, E., & Amaddeo, A. (2024). Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department. Children, 11(7), 833. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070833

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Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine for Maintenance of Sedation in an Aggressive Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Emergency Department

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