Sedation is not routinely given.
If required, your doctor needs to order and pre-arrange this with our department.
Only pediatric neurologists may order sedation; otherwise, please refer directly to Neurology for a consultation.
We use mild sedatives (dexmedetomidine), which are usually given intranasally. You will be contacted by our sedation nurses in order to complete the screening process. They will ask you questions about your medical history and give you information about the test.
If your child has had an adverse reaction to these medications before or you know they will be ineffective for sleep, please contact your doctor so other arrangements can be made.
We are not able to give any other sedatives in our department.
- If the child is unable to tolerate the test setup whilst awake
- If sleep was not recorded on previous EEGs and is important to the child's diagnosis
- A sedated test MUST be ordered by the doctor at the time the appointment is booked as we must have a nurse present to administer the sedation and to monitor the child; we cannot sedate unless this has been pre-arranged
- Please tell us if your child has reacted adversely to sedation in the past
- No fasting is required
- Sleep deprivation is still required for sedated EEG tests
