Certified child life specialists at New York City-based Lerner Children’s Pavilion at Hospital for Special Surgery eliminated the need for sedation during almost 2,000 pediatric MRIs over an eight-year period.
The achievement was presented at the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America’s annual meeting, according to a May 21 news release from the hospital.
Sedation is typically used in about 28% of pediatric MRIs, as the procedure requires patients to remain still for 20 to 80 minutes, the release said.
Certified child life specialists at HSS utilized guided imagery, distraction and caregiver involvement alongside age-appropriate preparation activities to help children understand the MRI process before the procedure occurs.
Children are also able to bring a soft, metal-free toy into the machine and are given “mirrored glasses” that allow them to see their caregiver or the MRI technologist during the procedure.
“Without anesthesia, children can avoid the need for an IV, they don’t need to fast prior to the MRI and they don’t need to extend their hospital-related experience to recover,” Jessica Heyer, MD, a pediatric orthopedic and spine surgeon at HSS, said in the release. “From a hospital perspective, it enables children to have an MRI even when an anesthesiologist is not available.”
Depending on patient age, scan length, the targeted area and preexisting comorbidities, sedation-free MRI may not be an option for every patient, the release said.
