Preoperative Sedation via Cecostomy Tube in an Autistic Adolescent: A Case Report.
Ian M Drillings, Stephanie E Jones
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A 13-year-old autistic boy with a preexisting cecostomy tube for chronic constipation had previously been unable to tolerate oral or intramuscular preoperative sedation because of agitation and physical aggression. Midazolam 10 mg (0.25 mg/kg) and ketamine 200 mg (5 mg/kg) were given through the cecostomy tube. Sedation developed within 20 minutes, allowing dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia to proceed uneventfully.
What made this case unusual
Sedatives were administered through a cecostomy tube after oral and intramuscular routes had failed, using a tube already in place for chronic constipation.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Cecal administration may be a feasible sedation route when conventional routes are poorly tolerated, but absorption, dosing, and reproducibility remain uncertain.