Buccal Midazolam Versus Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Plus Oral Chloral Hydrate in Inguinal Hernia Repair

Inguinal hernia surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures in early infancy. Preoperative anxiety remains a vexing issue, and it exists in nearly 50% of pediatric patients. The administration of sedatives to a child before entering a surgical room is the most common way of reducing the child's distress and allows the child to undergo smooth anesthesia induction. Chloral hydrate is a widely used sedative for young children undergoing imaging studies, with a high success rate. Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha-2 agonist for paediatric sedation. It produces sedation like natural non-rapid eye movement sleep and has respiratory-sparing effect.