. 2022 Oct-Dec;34(4):507–518. doi: 10.5935/0103-507X.20220145-en

Table 2.

Characteristics of the selected studies

Author, country	Methodology	Population	n	Age	Control/Intervention
Amirnovin et al.,⁽⁸⁾ United States	Foresight before and after intervention	Children admitted to the pediatric cardiac ICU who received opioid infusions ≥7 days	119	< 21 years (mean 10 months)	Control: weaning at medical discretion Intervention: protocolized weaning
Bowens et al.,⁽¹⁹⁾ United States	Prospective, double-blind, randomized	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU with ≥ 5 days of fentanyl infusion	68	> 28 days to < 18 years (mean 4.4 months)	Control: protocolized management of WS in “low doses” (according to weight) of methadone Intervention: protocolized management of WS using “high-dose” methadone (according to fentanyl infusion rate)
Garisto et al.,⁽²⁰⁾ Italy	Randomized clinical trial	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU with congenital heart disease	48	> 28 days to < 24 months (mean 5.5 months)	Control: use of opioids and benzodiazepines alone Intervention: use of benzodiazepines and opioids with dexmedetomidine
Hünseler et al.,⁽²¹⁾ Germany	Prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU on MV for more than 3 days and on midazolam and fentanyl	219	NB with GA > 37 weeks up to 2 years (mean 10 months)	Control: patients received clonidine infusion Intervention: patients received a placebo infusion
Tiacharoen et al.,⁽²²⁾ Thailand	Open, randomized and controlled study	Children who received intravenous sedatives or analgesics for ≥ 5 days	30	> 1 month and < 18 years (mean 20.76 months)	Control: weaning at medical discretion Intervention: weaning was protocolized through risk assessment for the development of WS
Gaillard-Le Roux et al.,⁽²³⁾ França	Prospective, before and after	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU	194	> 28 days to < 18 years (mean 6.6 months)	Control: weaning at medical discretion
Sanchez-Pinto et al.,⁽²⁴⁾ Estados Unidos	Prospective pre- and post-intervention	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU who received scheduled opioids for ≥ 7 days	107	< 21 years (mean 26.4 months)	Control: weaning at medical discretion Intervention: protocolized weaning
Geven et al.,⁽²⁵⁾ Holanda	Retrospective observational	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU who used benzodiazepines and opioids for 48 hours continuously	102	< 18 years (mean 14 months)	Observation of patients weaned on dexmedetomidine after use of benzodiazepines and opioids
Sperotto F, et al.,⁽²⁶⁾ Italia	Observational prospective	Patients < 18 years of age who received dexmedetomidine for a period greater than or equal to 24 hours	163	< 18 years (mean 13 months)	Observation of patients before and after 24 hours of dexmedetomidine infusion
van der Vossen et al.,⁽²⁷⁾ Holanda	Retrospective cohort	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU	73	< 18 years (mean 63.3 months)	Control: evaluation of patients before conversion from midazolam to lorazepam Intervention: evaluation of patients 48 hours after conversion
Sanavia et al,⁽²⁸⁾ Espanha	Observational prospective	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU who received continuous infusions of sedatives and analgesics for > 4 days	100	> 1 month to 16 years (mean 8 months)	Observation of patients using medication rotation protocol
Berrens et al.,⁽²⁹⁾ Estados Unidos	Retrospective study	Children admitted to the pediatric ICU	50	> 1 month to < 18 years (mean 24 months)	Observation of patients weaned on clonidine compared to patients weaned on dexmedetomidine alone

ICU - intensive care unit; WS - withdrawal syndrome; NB - newborn; GA - gestational age.