“If respiratory secretions are thick and/or green, practitioners should consider this an added risk – though low,” he said by email. “In many cases, including those that are time-sensitive or emergent, delaying a procedure could pose a larger risk than those associated with sedation.”

“A critical point to stress is that sedation must be provided with adequate monitoring by practitioners skilled in managing potential emergencies, particularly related to airway and breathing,” Dr. Gutierrez cautioned. “Though rare, adverse events related to sedation can have devastating consequences. In skilled hands and with adequate monitoring, this study indicates that sedation is very safe.”

Dr. Desmond Henry, chief of pediatric anesthesiology at Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas, observed, “Having the results of this study to share with families will assist in the informed consent process prior to a procedure requiring sedation.”

“This study also reinforces the importance of a thorough history and physical exam prior to a sedation procedure,” he said by email. “We are confident this study will allow families to play an active and more informed role in decision making, knowing their child is at increased risk if recently or currently affected by an upper respiratory infection, while also being reassured that overall risk of an adverse event is still very small.”

Dr. Gordana Stjepanovic, director of the division of pediatric anesthesiology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City noted, “the authors recognize that the clinical relevance of the findings is questionable. The rates of adverse airway reactions and airway interventions remain relatively low, less than 1 percent, regardless of URI status.”

“In addition to the study findings, in a clinical setting, the sedation plan has to be tailored to every individual patient,” she wrote in an email. “Factors to keep in mind include the severity of their URI, type of the procedure, urgency of the procedure, patient age, and concurrent comorbidities – especially facial malformations, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity.”

Study authors Drs. Mallory and Cravero did not respond to requests for a comment.