Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2017
Observational StudyPoor performance of main-stream capnography in newborn infants during general anesthesia.
Endtidal (ET) measurement of carbon dioxide is well established for intraoperative respiratory monitoring of adults and children, but the method's accuracy for intraoperative use in small newborn infants has been less extensively investigated. ⋯ Main-stream capnography during anesthesia and surgery correlated poorly to blood gas values in small and/or respiratory compromised infants. We conclude that caution should be exercised when relying solely on ET measurements to guide mechanical ventilation in the OR.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2017
Nurse-driven analgesia and sedation in pediatric patients with univentricular hearts requiring extracorporeal life support after first-stage palliation surgery: A pilot study.
Few data are available regarding requirements of sedation and analgesia in children during extracorporeal life support. ⋯ A nurse-driven protocol for analgesia and sedation of children with extracorporeal life support is feasible. Patients with extracorporeal life support do not need deeper sedation levels and have not higher cumulative sedation requirements than children without extracorporeal life support.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2017
ReviewOptimal management of apparatus dead space in the anesthetized infant.
Mechanical ventilation of the anesthetized infant requires careful attention to equipment and ventilator settings to assure optimal gas exchange and minimize the potential for lung injury. Apparatus dead space, defined as dead space resulting from devices placed between the endotracheal tube and the Y-piece of the breathing circuit, is the primary source of dead space controlled by the clinician. ⋯ The goal of this review was to evaluate the apparatus that are commonly added to the breathing circuit during anesthesia care, and develop recommendations to guide the clinician in selecting apparatus that are best matched to the clinical goals and the patient's size. We include specific recommendations for apparatus that are best suited for different size pediatric patients, with a particular focus on patients <5 kg.
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Informed consent for pediatric anesthesia is unique because it is (1) obtained from surrogates (ie, parents) rather than from the patient and (2) sought after parents have authorized the surgical intervention. There are limited data on how pediatric anesthesia informed and consent discussions are conducted. The purpose of this study was to characterize the content of preanesthesia informed consent discussions and assess their impact on parent recall and understanding. ⋯ Most pediatric preanesthesia discussions include ≥5 informed consent elements and describe the plan, mention risks, and mention benefits. Inclusion of these latter 3 consent elements was associated with parental recall of these elements but not understanding.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2017
A quality improvement initiative to increase the safety of pediatric emergency airway management.
Emergency airway management is commonly associated with life-threatening hypoxia and hypotension which may be preventable. ⋯ Quality improvement initiatives targeting emergency airway management may be successfully implemented in the emergency department and are associated with a reduction in adverse intubation-related events.