The Use of Chloral Hydrate in Infants and Children

hloral hydrate was introduced into medical use by Liebreich in 1869 as the first synthetic sedative-hypnotic. Unlike opioids, it produces sedation without significant adverse effects on cardiovascular or respiratory function at therapeutic doses. As early as 1894, chloral hydrate was being used in children. Despite the availability of newer agents, chloral hydrate remains a common choice. In a 2003 survey of pediatric critical care fellowship training programs in the United States, chloral hydrate was the seventh most frequently used drug for sedation and analgesia. This issue of Pediatric Pharmacotherapy will review the pharmacology of chloral hydrate and describe recent studies of its use in infants and children.

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