Clonidine and preoperative anxiety in children

Preoperative anxiety is a frequent phenomenon in children. Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches have been developed to prevent this anxiety and reduce its impact. However premedication remains the most widely used approach.Benzodiazepines were long considered the molecule of choice in the pediatric population. But because of their adverse effects various studies have tried to find an alternative. Some authors have studied the effect of clonidine on perioperative anxiolysis.The aim of our work was to evaluate the effect of intranasal clonidine premedication on preoperative anxiety at the time of parent-child separation and on entry to the operating theatre.