Heart Rate Response to Atropine Doses Less Than 0.1mg IV to Anesthetized Infants
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2013-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
An infants heart rate is very important because it ensures that blood is pumped to all organs
in the body. Heart rate may decrease during anesthesia and surgery, and this is why the
anesthesiologist will often give a medication to prevent this from happening. The most common
drug for this purpose is called atropine. The dose of most drugs given to babies is based
upon the baby's weight, but some believe that the dose of atropine should not be less than
0.1mg. However there is no evidence to support this minimum dose. A larger dose of atropine
may cause a very fast heart rate instead. Anesthesiologists routinely dose the atropine based
upon the baby's weight without regard for a minimum dose.
The purpose of the present study is to measure the heart rate after doses of atropine in
neonates and infants who receive less than 0.1 mg.