P111 – 2526: Melatonin is effective in inducing sleep for children undergoing pediatric EEG

Abstract

Objective To assess the efficacy of melatonin in inducing sleep for pediatric patients undergoing electroencephalography (EEG) test with sleep recording required. Methods Children and adolescents between 1 to 18 years of age undergoing elective EEG test were studied using melatonin (21st Century® 3 mg tablets) as the hormone to induce sleep. Prior to the scheduled EEG, simple partial sleep deprivation instructions were given to all the patients. All the patients studied complied to the instructions. Melatonin was given to the patient if they were not able to fall asleep naturally in the EEG laboratory after waiting for 30 minutes. The melatonin dose used is as follows: 1–3 years old (weight 8–20 kg) is 1.5 mg, 3–5 years (20–30 kg) is 3 mg, 5–10 years (20–40 kg) is 6 mg, and 10–18 years (40–70 kg) is 9 mg. We gave a second dose of melatonin if sleep was not attained 30 minutes after the first dose. Results We reviewed a total of 91 patients during a 21 month period from April 2013 to December 2014 inclusive. With the use of melatonin, 82 (90%) patients achieved sleep. In this successful group, 22% either had global developmental delay, learning disability or autistic features. The percentages for patients who achieved sleep in the different age groups are: 96% (1–3 years), 82% (3–5 years), 94% (5–10 years) and 85% (10–18 years). There were only 9 patients who could not achieve sleep despite 2 doses of melatonin. Among these 9 patients, 7 had global developmental delay, learning disability or autistic features. Conclusion When implemented together with partial sleep deprivation, melatonin is an effective option to induce sleep for EEG studies with success rates of 90%. It allowed better quality EEG records as there was no superimposed beta activity as compared to that obtained when oral sedative such as chloral hydrate is used.