Safety and adverse events of MRI sedation and anaesthesia: A four-year retrospective analysis of 2400 patients across age groups

• Author Details:   
• Lalit Gupta
• Kapil Chaudhary
• Bhavna Gupta ^*

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Background and Aims: Sedation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently required across various age groups to ensure patient immobility and good imaging quality. However, The MRI suite presents special challenges due to limited access, long scan times, and patient-specific sedation requirements. This retrospective study aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and incidence of adverse events associated with sedation or anaesthesia for MRI across a broad spectrum of patients in an Indian high-volume MRI centre over four years.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 2,400 patients from 3 months of age up to 100 years for elective MRI under sedation by anaesthesiologists. Data were retrieved from electronic medical records, including demographic details, ASA status, fasting status, drugs administered, adequacy of sedation, recovery profile, and adverse events. Sedation regimens were tailored to clinical context and age, ranging from oral medications in paediatric patients to total intravenous anaesthesia in high-risk adults.

Results: The overall procedural success rate was 98.7%, and the complication rate was 3.96%. There were no sentinel events (e.g., cardiac arrest, aspiration). Mean MRI scan time was 34 minutes, and recovery time 25 minutes. Paediatric patients receiving oral sedation had longer recovery times (180±25 min) compared to those on intravenous sedation (48±12 min; p<0 OR=3.1, p=0.008).>

Conclusion: MRI sedation is safe and effective in all ages with age-related, standardized protocols under the supervision of skilled anaesthesiologists. The findings support continued refinement of sedation protocols with an emphasis on risk stratification, antiemetic optimization, and enhanced monitoring in children and high-risk patients.

Keywords: MRI, Sedation, Anaesthesia, Adverse events, IV sedation, Oral sedation, Patient safety.