Pediatric sedation: The European experience and approach

Abstract

With 53 countries and as many national histories, Europe can hardly be considered as a solid set of common elements. Despite the increasing political, fi nancial, economic, and administrative integration of a growing number of countries within the European Union (EU), European health-care systems remain highly diverse. In the last few years, European experts on pediatric sedation are increasingly exchanging insights and experiences, and a growing number of local and national initiatives intended to improve procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) practice may be noticed. This chapter avoids reiteration of what is commonly known in the United States and instead describes and contrasts what is different or new in Europe. In doing so, we have drawn upon our personal knowledge and experience in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, researched the European literature, and gathered some of our own data to describe what we believe to be the important and interesting European problems and perspectives with pediatric sedation.