What's good for the goose, may not be good for the gosling.

摘要

THE recent recall of nonprescription cough medicines in children has focused public attention on the "off-label" use of medications in children (Washington Post, October 11, 2007). That the majority of drugs prescribed for children are "off-label" is well-established. Studies from a number of countries have consistently reported that up to 90% of drugs prescribed for infants and children are off-label, with some variability according to age and the location of care (i.e., outpatient vs inpatient vs intensive care unit). In the anesthesia literature, 66% of the studies published in 2003 in the journal Pain included off-label drugs and 34% in the four leading anesthesia journals. In clinical pediatric anesthesia practice, the extent of "off label" drug use in children has not been quantified but is believed to be substantive. It seems appropriate then, to explore the polemic of off-label drug use in children from the perspective of the anesthesiologist.