Heart Rate Response to Atropine Doses Less Than 0.1mg IV to Anesthetized Infants

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.

Timeline

Start

2013-02

Primary completion

2013-07

Completion

2013-07

Publications

• Eisa L, Passi Y, Lerman J, Raczka M, Heard C. Do small doses of atropine (<0.1 mg) cause bradycardia in young children? Arch Dis Child. 2015 Jul;100(7):684-8. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2014-307868. Epub 2015 Mar 11.

Drugs

Indications