Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Although there have been few recent publications about obstetric deaths due to anaesthesia, it is timely to review their occurrence and put them into context. Health services are under constant review and a recent Department of Health publication highlights the need for safer care. Changes, including those related to training and permitted hours of work, may impact on safety. Without knowing where we are now, we cannot know whether these changes are an improvement or not. ⋯ Medical intervention undoubtedly saves many lives. Concerns about a possible increase in anaesthetic maternal mortality must be kept in perspective with the overall benefits. The growing complexity of problems such as maternal disease, obesity, and the increasing age of motherhood, nevertheless, increases the challenges presented. Multidisciplinary working is all-important.
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To present the most recent publications on inhaled agents in children and their implications for clinical care. ⋯ Sevoflurane and desflurane continue to challenge our abilities to anesthetize children safely and efficiently. Although transient emergence delirium after insoluble agents is a problem, several medications may be used to attenuate it. Inhaled agents must be used with caution in children with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy as hyperkalemia may occur in young males and myocardial depression in adolescents. Rapid recovery after desflurane and single-breath inductions with sevoflurane continue to fascinate clinicians.
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This article reviews the challenging practice of systemic analgesia as an alternative to epidural analgesia for labor pain, and places remifentanil within the context of opioid analgesics suitable for managing for labor pain. ⋯ Remifentanil is now gaining popularity. Remifentanil may be more suitable than other traditional opioids for inducing labor analgesia. Careful monitoring of the parturient and the newborn is recommended, however, to mitigate the potential for maternal and neonatal hypoxemia.
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Changes in practice and the development of new anesthetic drugs have influenced the use of muscle relaxants in children. This article reviews these developments, and defines the current role and factors affecting the choice of muscle relaxant drugs in pediatric anesthesia. ⋯ Recent developments in clinical practice have reduced or obviated the need for muscle relaxants in pediatric anesthesia. Muscle relaxants are still indicated for intubation and procedures requiring profound muscle relaxation, and to minimize the amounts of anesthetic drugs given to infants and sick children. Specific relaxants and doses can be chosen to suit the clinical circumstances.