Nitrous Oxide Induction Induces Amnesia in Pediatric Patients
Condition: Amnesia
MeSH terms: Amnesia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The investigators are conducting a study to investigate the amnestic effects of 2 different
      concentrations of nitrous oxide in children before induction of anesthesia in a prospective
      double-blinded placebo controlled study.
    

Detailed description: 
      Children of age group 6-12 will be randomly divided in 3 groups, First group will be Placebo
      , second group will be nitrous oxide end tidal 20-30% and third group will be nitrous oxide
      60-70%. Each group will be divided into 2 subgroups randomly with either a flavored or
      unflavored mask for induction.

      All children will be told a joke before the mask is applied, with the answer provided after
      the end-tidal nitrous oxide concentration reaches the randomized concentration (0, 30 or 60%)
      for at least one minute. At that point, the child will randomized to be either shown a
      picture of one of four animals (predetermined randomly) or a food will be stated aloud. For
      the animal, the child will be asked to name the animal aloud. The child's response (yes or no
      to a response and whether the item is correctly named) will be recorded. If the child does
      not respond, the name of the animal will be stated out loud. For the food, one of four foods
      will be named aloud and child will be asked to repeat the name. The child's response (named
      or not) will be recorded. Anesthesia will continue with the designated nitrous oxide
      concentration combined with 8% Sevoflurane.

      When the child is ready for discharge from the recovery room and recovered from anesthesia, a
      nurse or doctor who is blinded to the treatment group assignment will ask the child to recall
      the joke and answer. The child will then be asked if they were shown any animals and if so,
      which animal? If the child cannot recall an animal, the child will be asked to name the first
      animal that comes to mind. The child will then be shown pictures of four animals and asked to
      identify one. The child will be asked if they heard any foods when they went to sleep? If the
      child cannot recall hearing any foods recited, the first letter of the food will be shown: B
      _ _ _ _ _ . If the child does not recall any foods, then the child will be given the names of
      four foods that begin with the letter B and asked to pick one. Finally, the child will be
      asked about any odors in the mask during anesthesia. If he/she does not recall, then four
      odors will be read out and the child asked to identify any one. Additionally, the children
      will be asked whether they recall any odors on the mask as they were anesthetized. The order
      of items questioned in the recovery period will follow the same order as in the OR.
    

Intervention name(s): Explicit and Implicit memory; 0% nitrous oxide, 30% nitrous oxide and 60% nitrous oxide
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Drug
Intervention description(s): Explicit and implicit memory will be tested visually (showing an animal) and auditory (telling a joke, stating a food type that starts with the letter B) and smell recall (bad smell of anesthesia)
Intervention MeSH terms: Nitrous Oxide
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Keywords: Amnesia; Memory; Implicit; Explicit; Nitrous Oxide