New Insights into Pain Management and Sedation in Children

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Palliative Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 60

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Pediatrics-Anesthesiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Interests: pediatric anesthesiology; perioperative and pain medicine; pediatric pain control; pediatric regional anesthesia

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Guest Editor
Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Interests: pediatric anesthesiology; congenital cardiac anesthesia; regional anesthesia; acute pain management; airway management

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Guest Editor
Texas Children's, Houston, TX, USA
Interests: pediatric anesthesiology; acute pain management for post-operative patients; ultrasound to guide the regional blockade for surgical procedures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pain management and sedation in pediatric patients have evolved significantly over the past two decades, driven by advancements in pharmacology and technology, as well as a deeper understanding of developmental physiology. Despite progress, gaps remain in optimizing safe, effective, and equitable care across clinical settings.

This Special Issue aims to highlight innovative approaches and evidence-based strategies that are shaping the future of pediatric pain and sedation. We seek contributions that offer new perspectives, emerging techniques, and interdisciplinary solutions, including translational research, quality improvement, and health equity initiatives.

We welcome original research, systematic reviews, clinical trials, implementation science, and expert perspectives. Submissions should reflect cutting-edge science and be relevant to clinical practice in anesthesiology, critical care, pain medicine, or perioperative services.

Prof. Dr. Chris Darrel Glover
Dr. Amod A. Sawardekar
Dr. Nihar Patel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pediatric pain
  • sedation
  • multimodal analgesia
  • non-pharmacologic interventions
  • regional anesthesia
  • pediatric anesthesiology
  • patient-centered care
  • neurodevelopment
  • procedural anxiety
  • quality improvement

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 467 KB  
Article
Assessing Discharge Readiness After Propofol-Mediated Deep Sedation in Pediatric Dental Procedures: Revisiting Discharge Practices with the Modified Aldrete Recovery Score
by Merve Hayriye Kocaoglu and Cagil Vural
Children 2025, 12(9), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12091155 - 29 Aug 2025
Abstract
Background: Efficient and safe discharge is critical in pediatric dental procedures performed under deep sedation in non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) settings. Traditional institutional criteria may delay discharge due to subjectivity. Objective: This study compared the Modified Aldrete Recovery Score (MAS) and institutional [...] Read more.
Background: Efficient and safe discharge is critical in pediatric dental procedures performed under deep sedation in non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) settings. Traditional institutional criteria may delay discharge due to subjectivity. Objective: This study compared the Modified Aldrete Recovery Score (MAS) and institutional discharge criteria to determine which provides faster and reliable discharge decisions. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 100 children (ages 2–10, ASA I–III) undergoing deep sedation for dental treatment were evaluated. Two nurse anesthetists independently assessed discharge readiness every five minutes using either MAS or institutional criteria. Demographic data, BMI percentile, ASA class, anesthesia duration, and propofol dose were recorded. Discharge times were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank and subgroup analyses and correlation tests. Results: MAS allowed significantly earlier discharge than institutional criteria (24.75 ± 7.33 vs. 36.79 ± 8.59 min, p = 0.01). The agreement between methods was poor (ICC = 0.06). Discharge time varied significantly by BMI percentile (p = 0.01); obese children had shorter recovery times, while time differences were greater in overweight children. No adverse events or readmissions occurred. Conclusions: MAS provides a quicker and equally safe discharge assessment in pediatric dental sedation. Its use may enhance workflow efficiency and standardize recovery decisions in NORA settings lacking formal PACUs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Pain Management and Sedation in Children)
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