Prescribing Patterns of Continuous Infusions in Nonobese versus Obese Children Admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

This retrospective study compared the continuous infusions prescribed for obese and nonobese children. Ninety-five (13.2%) received an infusion. A greater percentage of obese ( n  = 42/168) versus nonobese (53/552) children received infusions, p  < 0.01. No difference was noted in the median number of infusions between the obese and nonobese groups, 2 versus 2, p  = 0.975. The top 20 prescribed infusions included ten (50%) for sedation/analgesia or neuromuscular blockade and six (30%) for hemodynamic support. A literature search was performed for these 20 agents to determine pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and dosing in obese children and revealed six studies evaluating fentanyl ( n  = 2), midazolam ( n  = 1), and propofol ( n  = 3).