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Determining the Pharmacogenetic Basis of Non-responsiveness to the Sedative Effects of Dexmedetomidine in Children

Determining the Pharmacogenetic Basis of Non-responsiveness to the Sedative Effects of Dexmedetomidine in Children

Status
UNKNOWN
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04471402
Enrollment
100
Registered
2020-07-15
Start date
2020-07-20
Completion date
2022-12-31
Last updated
2022-03-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pharmacogenetic Study, Procedural Anxiety, Dexmedetomidine

Keywords

Procedural anxiety in children, Pharmacogenetic study, Dexmedetomidine, Sedation

Brief summary

Intranasal Dexmedetomidine is one of the sedative drugs of choice commonly used as an anxiolytic premedication for children for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. However, some children do not achieve the level of sedation expected with the usual dose after an expected timeframe, leading to distress and costly time wasted. In this study, we would try to identify a genetic basis to non-responders of Dexmedetomidine by comparing a chosen gene panel of 250 relevant genes between responders and non-responders to a standardized 3mcg/kg intranasal Dexmedetomidine.

Detailed description

For most children, having to endure a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure in a hospital environment is a frightening and distressing experience, especially if it is accompanied by pain or discomfort. In an attempt to minimise the trauma and to maximise co-operation from the child, administration of a sedative is often requested by either the parent or the proceduralist. Some sedative agents may have the side effect reducing the child's efforts in breathing, causing inadequate oxygen to be delivered to and carbon dioxide removed from the body, a state that can be life threatening if left untreated. Other sedative agents may cause unpleasant sensations such as hallucinations or nausea while still others may have a paradoxical effect of exciting rather than sedating the child. Among the available agents that may be administered without the presence of an attendant anaesthesiologist, dexmedetomidine is an agent of choice with minimal incidence of the aforementioned effects. However, we have observed in a small proportion of children that dexmedetomidine does not see to be able to elicit a sedative response in the expected time and with the usual dose. It is possible that there is a genetic bas to this resistance and it would be of great use to be able to predict the non-responders ahead of time so an appropriate alternative may be selected without a trial and error approach. In this project, children who would require Precedex as first-line sedation for radiological or pre-anaesthesia sedation are asked to participate by providing a buccal swab sample and have their genome (genetic makeup) characterised by target sequencing. They are standardized into receiving 3mcg/kg intranasal Precedex and are observed every 5 minutes afterwards for their level of sedation. They would be identified as 'fast responder', 'normal responder', 'slow responder' and 'definite non-responder'. A gene panel of 250 relevant genes is chosen and compared between the different groups of responders and non-responders. We will then try to look for the differences between these groups and we will use this information to build a predictive model. This model will help to identify non-responders in the future and this would allow clinicians to prepare for an alternative approach to sedation. This would save time, distress to the child and parent and ultimately cost to the institution.

Interventions

Intranasal Precedex 3mcg/kg

Sponsors

Hong Kong Children's Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Months to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Children who would receive 3mcg/kg intranasal Precedex as a first line sedative agent for radiological procedures or for pre-anaesthesia sedation * Written informed consent from parent or legal guardian

Exclusion criteria

* Known allergy or hypersensitivity to Precedex * Pre-existing developmental delay * Neurological impairment * Autism * Fever (temperature \>/= 38.5c) * Major organ dysfunction * Cardiac arrhythmia * Cardiac failure * Subjects who would require a dose exceeding 100mcg if 3mcg/kg dose is achieved * Subjects who have failed intranasal administration of Dexmedetomidine

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Sedative response to intranasal PrecedexEvery 5 minutes till 30 minutes from administration of intranasal PrecedexSedation response is recorded every 5 minutes after administration of Precedex until a satisfactory sedation level is reached. A satisfactory sedation level is defined as a UMSS of 3-4 (University of Michigan Sedation Scale) and allowing transfer to bed without waking up. Subjects are categorized into 'fast responder', 'normal responder', 'slow responder' and 'definite non-responder' based on the time required to achieve satisfactory level of sedation

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Onset time of sedation45 minutes from administration of intranasal PrecedexThe actual time required to reach a satisfactory sedation level after administration of intranasal Precedex
Incidence of bradycardia2 hour from administration of intranasal Precedex or until administration of other sedative or anaesthetic drugs, whichever is shorterDefined as more than 20% reduction in heart rate from baseline or from the lower limit of published normal values for age, whichever is lower
Incidence of hypotension2 hours from administration of intranasal Precedex, or until administration of other sedative or anaesthetic drugs, whichever is shorterDefined as a systolic blood pressure more than 20% lower than the published normal values for age
Length of procedure3 hoursLength of procedure is recorded
Incidence of hypoxia2 hours from administration of intranasal Precedex, or until administration of other sedative or anaesthetic drugs, whichever is shorterDefined as a SpO2 \< or equal to 93% or more than 5% decrease from baseline
Wake up time1 hour after completion of procedureTime to reach UMSS of 1 or below after completion of procedure
Incidence of hypertension2 hours from administration of intranasal Precedex, or until administration of other sedative or anaesthetic drugs, whichever is shorterDefined as a systolic blood pressure more than 20% higher than the published normal values for age

Countries

Hong Kong

Contacts

Primary ContactVivian MY Yuen, M.D.
yuenmyv@ha.org.hk+852 57413131
Backup ContactJacqueline CK Tse, MBBS
tck030@ha.org.hk+852 57413200

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026