Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1999
Case ReportsSome vagaries of neonatal lumbar epidural anaesthesia.
Regional anaesthesia and analgesia offer unique advantages of reduction in general anaesthesia requirements and the demands on NICU resources while improving the general outcome. We assessed the feasibility of continuous lumbar epidural analgesia in 20 neonates for various major surgical procedures lasting from 60-260 min. The babies were aged 18 h to 34 days. ⋯ They were awake but comfortable at the time of extubation. There were no complications due to the technique. Subsequent to this study, epidural analgesia either by lumbar or caudal route has become the routine in our hospital for all major thoraco-abdominal surgical procedures in neonates.
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The perioperative management of a 14-year-old girl, suffering from the muscular disorder rigid spine syndrome, is presented. The anaesthetic implications with regard to possible difficult intubation, cardiac involvement, malignant hyperthermia, neuromuscular blocking agents, and postoperative recovery are discussed.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1999
The effect of syringe size on the performance of an infusion pump.
This study investigated the effect of using three different sized syringes on the accuracy of fluid delivery when using an infusion pump at low infusion rates (1 ml.h-1). The study also measured the influence of the syringe size on the time to occlusion alarm, and on the size of the subsequent bolus dose that might be infused after relief of the occlusion which triggered the alarm. The use of a larger size syringe was found not to affect the accuracy of infusate delivery, but delayed the time to occlusion alarm and increased the size of the postocclusion bolus dose.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1999
Case Reports Comparative StudySevoflurane for dental extraction in children with Tetralogy of Fallot.
Two children with Tetralogy of Fallot presented for dental extraction. Anaesthesia was induced rapidly and smoothly by inhalation of sevoflurane. We discussed the advantages of sevoflurane as an induction agent as compared to halothane in these children.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1999
Case ReportsPulmonary artery catheter placement under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance.
Despite correct positioning pulmonary artery catheters may be displaced accidentally. Repositioning may prove to be difficult, especially when high pulmonary artery pressures are present. After failure of usual placement methods, transoesophageal echocardiography was used to guide repositioning of a displaced Swan-Ganz catheter in the early postoperative course after cardiac surgery in a child. This technique proved to be useful in visualizing intracardiac catheter orientation and facilitating pulmonary artery catheter placement at bedside, avoiding transportation of a haemodynamically unstable patient.