Why the study?
Does the median effective dose (ED50) of halothane for anesthesia vary by age between pediatric and adult subjects?
Does the median effective dose (ED50) of halothane for anesthesia vary by age between pediatric and adult subjects?
Halothane requires higher concentrations to achieve anesthesia in infants and young children compared to adults, while simultaneously causing more profound cardiovascular depression in the younger population.
Age-related halothane ED50 decline may inform pediatric dosing; leaves open translation to modern agents and cardiovascular safety.
Median effective doses of halothane (ED50), determined in 73 pediatric subjects and 31 adults grouped according to age, were: 1.20 per cent at 0 to 6 months; 1.16 per cent at 6 to 24 months; 1.07 per cent at 24 to 48 months; and 0.9 per cent in adults. The dose-response curves for all groups did not deviate significantly from parallelism. Halothane was 1.28 and 1.12 times more potent in producing anesthesia in adults than in the 0-to-6-months and 6-to-24-months group. Potency in the 24-to-48-months group did not differ significantly from potency in adults or in younger children. In contrast, taking hypotension as a measure of circulatory effect, halothane is a less potent cardiovascular depressant in adults than in young children.
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Nicodemus et al. (1969) studied this question.
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