Ketofol Versus Fentofol for Procedural Sedation in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the duration of procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) from time of medication delivery to recovery for children in the ED provided by Fentofol and Ketofol.

Hypothesis: The hypothesis is that Fentofol will have a shorter duration of sedation time as compared to Ketofol.

Justification: PSA for children is a common occurrence in the ED and has been performed using Ketamine or Propofol. Propofol offers several advantages over Ketamine, including shorter recovery times, and low rates of nausea and vomiting. Propofol is a potent sedative-hypnotic that does not provide analgesia, hence another agent is commonly used in combination for painful procedures. Propofol has been used in combination with Ketamine (Ketofol) and with Fentanyl (Fentofol) to improve the quality of sedation for painful procedures such as fracture reduction. Ketofol has been shown in a double blind randomized controlled trial to be at least equivalent, or even superior to Ketamine in children who are undergoing PSA, with shorter duration of sedation, increased provider and patient satisfaction, and reduced frequency of nausea/vomiting events. A combination of 1 to 2 microgram/kg Fentanyl and 1 mg/kg Propofol has been shown to substantially reduce recovery time as compared to 0.05 mg/kg Midazolam and 1 to 2 mg/kg Ketamine, and provided adequate levels of analgesia during PSA. As a result, both Ketofol and Fentofol are considered standard treatments for PSA in the ED. However, there is currently no pediatric literature available comparing Ketofol and Fentofol for PSA in the ED setting and the results of this study will potentially identify which of the two sedation agents is superior.