Paediatric anaesthesia
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In 1984, David Steward (in Figure 1, front row) and Seizo Iwai (Figure 2) organized a meeting of pediatric anesthetists in Manila during the World Congress of Anesthesiologists. Following the meeting, there was a dinner at which John Zorab, then Secretary of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), told the audience that if they wanted to set up a Paediatric Committee in the WFSA, they should request to do so immediately. ⋯ It was established at the WFSA Executive meeting the next day. Eventually, a multiauthored WFSA handbook on Pediatric Anesthesia, initiated by David Steward and finalized by Anneke Meursing, was produced some years later.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2012
Who needs an IV? Retrospective service analysis in a tertiary pediatric hospital.
The question if it is possible and safe to anesthetize children for short procedures without intravenous (IV) access provokes strong opinions among pediatric anesthetists. However, only limited data are available to support either side of the arguments. This pediatric university hospital provides anesthesia to a community dental service, led by staff anesthesiologists. A rapid turnover system based on inhalational induction and maintenance of anesthesia without mandatory IV access has been employed since 2005. ⋯ This service review indicates that general anesthesia for outpatient dental anesthesia may be safely performed without mandatory IV access. The technique employed in this center emphasizes the need for the clinician to primarily concentrate on pediatric airway management in a safe environment with experienced assistance. It supports the hypothesis that instrumentation of the airway (insertion of laryngeal mask airway) can be satisfactorily achieved without prior IV access.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAirway management of recovered pediatric patients with severe head and neck burns: a review.
There are approximately 10,000 pediatric burn survivors in the United States each year, many of whom will present for reconstructive surgery after severe burns in the head and neck (1). These recovered burn victims, who are beyond the acute phase of injury, often have significant scarring and contractures in the face, mouth, nares, neck, and chest, which can make airway management challenging and potentially lead to a 'cannot intubate, cannot ventilate' scenario (2). ⋯ This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of airway management in such patients, focusing on challenges encountered during mask ventilation and tracheal intubation, as well as the role of surgical release of neck contractures to facilitate tracheal intubation. Lessons learned from all reported cases identified in a thorough literature search are incorporated into this review.