Prenatal Substance Use and Perceptions of Parent and Partner Use Using the 4P’s Plus Screener

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Background Prenatal substance use screening is recommended. The 4 P’s Plus screener includes questions on perceived problematic substance use in parents...     

Safety of repeated hyperpolarized helium 3 magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric asthma patients

Background

Hyperpolarized helium 3 magnetic resonance imaging (³He MRI) is useful for investigating pulmonary physiology of pediatric asthma, but a detailed assessment of the safety profile of this agent has not been performed in children.

Objective

To evaluate the safety of ³He MRI in children and adolescents with asthma.

Materials and methods

This was a retrospective observational study. ³He MRI was performed in 66 pediatric patients (mean age 12.9 years, range 8–18 years, 38 male, 28 female) between 2007 and 2017. Fifty-five patients received a single repeated examination and five received two repeated examinations. We assessed a total of 127 ³He MRI exams. Heart rate, respiratory rate and pulse oximetry measured oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were recorded before, during (2 min and 5 min after gas inhalation) and 1 h after MRI. Blood pressure was obtained before and after MRI. Any subjective symptoms were also noted. Changes in vital signs were tested for significance during the exam and divided into three subject age groups (8–12 years, 13–15 years, 16–18 years) using linear mixed-effects models.

Results

There were no serious adverse events, but three minor adverse events (2.3%; headache, dizziness and mild hypoxia) were reported. We found statistically significant increases in heart rate and SpO₂ after ³He MRI. The youngest age group (8–12 years) had an increased heart rate and a decreased respiratory rate at 2 min and 5 min after ³H inhalation, and an increased SpO₂ post MRI.

Conclusion

The use of ³He MRI is safe in children and adolescents with asthma.