Paediatric anaesthesia
-
Paediatric anaesthesia · Apr 2019
Retrospective audit of airway management practices in children with craniocervical pathology.
Craniocervical immobilization using halo body orthoses may be required in the management of children with craniocervical junction pathology. To date, the effect of such immobilization on perioperative anesthetic management has not been addressed in large series. ⋯ Airway management in children with cervical spine pathology should be anticipated to be more difficult than the general pediatric population. This is likely to be due to co-existing pathology associated with cervical spine disease in children, limitation of neck movement to prevent further neurological injury, and the halo itself limiting access to the head. We recommend advanced preparation, and ensuring the immediate availability of an anesthetist with skills in managing the pediatric difficult airway to avoid complications in this patient population.
-
Paediatric anaesthesia · Apr 2019
A new way to determine correct depth of central venous catheter insertion using a real-time ultrasound-guided insertion technique in pediatric patients.
Several formulae or methods are reported to predict the ideal central venous catheter insertion depth. However, they are complicated and often unsuitable in cases requiring rapid management. ⋯ This study successfully determined a visually simple and practical bar graph to predict the ideal central venous catheter depth inserted using only the real-time ultrasound-guided insertion technique for the right internal jugular vein, left supraclavicular, and right supraclavicular approaches.
-
Paediatric anaesthesia · Apr 2019
Observational StudyThe angle range of leg abduction with external hip rotation which can minimize femoral artery and vein overlap in pediatric patients.
Since the femoral artery frequently overlaps the femoral vein, femoral central venous catheterization carries the risk of arterial puncture in pediatric patients. ⋯ Positioning patients in a range of 48° and 58° leg abduction with external hip rotation can minimize the overlap between the femoral artery and vein. However, the clinical usefulness of this positioning for femoral venous catheterization remains to be seen.
-
Paediatric anaesthesia · Apr 2019
Observational StudyThe impact of a quality improvement project to standardize pain, agitation, and withdrawal assessments on the use of morphine and midazolam in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
This study aims to assess the impact of a quality improvement initiative to increase assessments of pain, agitation, and iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome, on the use of sedative and analgesic medication in a pediatric intensive care unit. ⋯ Implementation of a multifaceted QI project was successful at increasing standardized assessments of pain and agitation, and was associated with a significant reduction in midazolam use. We also observed a decrease in morphine use without increasing rates of severe pain. Incidence of iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome and cost were unchanged.