Easing Sedation
It’s not entirely brand new but interest in the PediSedate has been resurrected by Technologizer looking at Game Boy oddities as part of a 20th anniversary tribute to Nintendo’s handheld gaming console. The PediSedate is a clever medical gadget consisting of a colorful, toy-like headset that connects to a game console like a Game Boy system or some portable digital music player.
The pediatric sedation headset is designed to distract children, through giving them something that is fun and familiar, so they are calm and comfortable while they are being sedated in preparation for surgery or some other medical procedure.
While the child is listening to music or playing a game, the PediSedate monitors breathing continuously and distributes nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas. By being in a calm state when sedated, the child has less chance of being traumatized by a stressful medical or dental procedure.
Maegan has been sedated twice for dental procedures and once for a surgical procedure. (She’s only 7!) The first time she was only three and needed tubes placed in her ears for drainage. The worst part of the whole experience was the sedation. The pre-op sedation wasn’t too bad, although she did almost fall out of her seat before going completely under. I think the PediSedate would have been a handy way to keep her still while the sedatives kicked in. The subsequent sedation experiences were even worse. She hates sitting still and doesn’t understand that moving around while being sedated is a risky proposition at best. If only the PediSedate had been available then, the whole experience might have been much less traumatic for us.
Now if they could just find a way to make coming out from under sedation easier. If you have never had to deal with a small child waking from sedation, count yourself very, very lucky. It is not pretty or enjoyable. In fact, it was more painful than childbirth for me.
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