Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Sedation and Analgesia During Pediatric Emergency Room Procedures

The study objective is to determine if intranasal dexmedetomidine is a safe and effective sedative drug during small painful procedures in the pediatric emergency room. Patients of the pediatric emergency room at Oulu university hospital with any medical condition requiring a small painful procedure like i.v. cannulation or lumbar puncture are asked to join the investigator's study if they would seem to benefit from a sedative drug during the procedure. Patients are randomly assigned to treatment group receiving intranasal dexmedetomidine 1µg/kg and to placebo group receiving 4,5% saline solution. The primary outcome is the success of the procedure. Cardiovascular and respiratory effects, the pain experienced by the patient, sedation scores and duration of crying are also monitored.