Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2004
Clinical signs of infection during continuous postoperative epidural analgesia in children: the value of catheter tip culture.
Infection arising from the use of epidural catheters for postoperative analgesia is a major source of anxiety. ⋯ Minor local signs of inflammation and infection are common in pediatric patients during continuous epidural infusion. Epidural catheter tips are also frequently culture positive in patients with and without local signs and who may not go on to develop further signs or symptoms of infection. Routine culture of catheter tips is unnecessary as it is not a good predictor of epidural space infection.
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A 2 year-old boy presented with acute upper airway obstruction following a 15-month history of noisy breathing and hoarseness. An urgent laryngotracheal bronchoscopy was performed following inhalational induction of anesthesia. ⋯ Twelve days later, the tracheostomy was successfully decannulated with the child's voice beginning to normalize. The family remembered the decoration from Christmas celebrations 2 years prior and recalled a coughing episode that predated the onset of hoarseness.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2004
Case ReportsUnsuspected sublingual mass causing difficult intubation in an infant.
A case is described of a difficult intubation in an infant presenting for cleft palate closure, due to an unsuspected sublingual mass. The report stresses the fact that multiple anomalies can coexist in an infant and contribute to difficult intubation through different mechanisms. Various airway management strategies are explored.