Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2012
High-dose aprotinin, blood product transfusions, and short-term outcome in neonates and infants: a pediatric cardiac surgery center experience.
The efficacy of aprotinin, the most popular antifibrinolytic agent in congenital cardiac surgery, was still uncertain in small infants when its prophylactic use was suspended for safety reasons. The aim of this study is to describe associations between the prophylactic use of high-dose aprotinin, the need for blood product transfusions, and short-term outcome in neonates and infants with cardiac surgery. ⋯ No association was found between the prophylactic use of aprotinin, blood product transfusions, and short-term outcome in this population of neonates and infants.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2012
Incidence and predictors of difficult laryngoscopy in 11,219 pediatric anesthesia procedures.
Difficult laryngoscopy in pediatric patients undergoing anesthesia. ⋯ The general incidence of difficult laryngoscopy in pediatric anesthesia is lower than in adults. Our results show that the risk of difficult laryngoscopy is much higher in patients below 1 year of age, in underweight patients and in ASA III and IV patients. The underlying disease might also contribute to the risk. If the Mallampati score could be obtained, prediction of difficult laryngoscopy seems to be reliable. Our data support the existing recommendations for a specialized anesthesiological team to provide safe anesthesia for infants and neonates.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2012
Role of ultrasound compared to age-related formulas for uncuffed endotracheal intubation in a pediatric population.
It is often difficult to determine the correct size of endotracheal tubes (ETT) needed for intubating pediatric patients. Therefore, we evaluated the role of ultrasound in pediatric patients to compare the correct size of an uncuffed (ETT) with the minimal transverse diameter of the subglottic airway (MTDSA) measured by ultrasound and with tube size predicted by different age-related formulas. ⋯ Measuring MTDSA by ultrasound facilitates selection of the appropriate ETT in pediatric patients and may reduce the number of reintubations.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2012
Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (Hurler syndrome) and anesthesia: the impact of bone marrow transplantation, enzyme replacement therapy, and fiberoptic intubation on airway management.
To assess the effect of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), and a fiberoptic endotracheal intubation technique in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I, Hurler syndrome). ⋯ Managing the MPS1 patient continues to be a challenge but with treatment and newer forms of airway management it is improving.
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Informed consent prior to anesthesia is an important part of the pediatric pre-anesthetic consultation. This study aimed to observe and identify the number and nature of the anesthesia risks considered and communicated to parents/guardians and children during the pediatric informed consent process on the day of elective surgery. ⋯ The pediatric anesthesia risk discussion is very variable. Trainees tend to discuss more specific risks than consultants and a patient's previous experience of anesthesia was associated with a more limited discussion of anesthesia risk.