Is anyone using etomidate in neonates / preterms?

[Bernhard Csillag]

I just came across some papers about etomidate for sedation - causing no haemodynamic problems, but I hardly find any paper or recommendation for or against using etomidate in neonates.

What I learned so far:

- No haemodynamic suppression

- Not analgetic

- very often onset of myocloni

- High tone of pharyngeal muscels - so relaxation needed

- Adrenal suppression -  in a relevant duration? That one could be a relevant argument against using it in neonates.

- 0,3 mg/kg/Dose

- Don't know anything about neuroapoptosis.

 

Any experiences?

 

Thank you!

best wishes,

Bernhard

[Katja]

Since there is some evidence that etomidate causes adrenocortical dysfunction with increased mortality in septic patients, we have stopped using it for a long time.
 

However, we only used it in older children, not in neonates.