Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
An evaluation of preoperative anxiety in a population of parents of infants and children undergoing ambulatory surgery.
We attempted to identify specific predictors of preoperative parental anxiety in a population of parents of healthy infants and children undergoing elective, outpatient surgery. We specifically examined the following factors: age of the child, whether or not the child had previous surgery, whether or not the parents' other children had previous surgery, parental gender, highest level of education obtained by the parent, and whether or not there was prior discussion between the parent and anaesthesiologist. In the immediate preoperative period, a questionnaire (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) was given to all parents of infants and children presenting for elective, outpatient surgery. ⋯ Our results indicate that parents are more anxious when their child is less than one year of age and when it is the child's first surgery. When assessed separately by parental gender, both these factors were significant for mothers but not their fathers. We recommend that, although anaesthesiologists generally tailor their preoperative preparation based upon the best needs of their patients and families, they pay special attention to the groups we have identified which are at increased risk for preoperative anxiety.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Letter Case ReportsPostoperative use of milrinone for Norwood procedure.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Case ReportsRight bevelled tube for selective left bronchial intubation in a child undergoing right thoracotomy.
Left bronchial intubation was used to achieve selective left lung ventilation in a five-year-old child, undergoing thoracotomy for excision of a hydatid cyst of the right lung. Intubation of the left main stem bronchus was easily achieved from the first attempt by a right bevelled tracheal tube. ⋯ One lung ventilation using 1-2% halothane in 100% oxygen was associated with Spo2 that ranged between 95-97%, and endtidal PETCO2 ranging between 3.9-4.5 kPa (30-35 mmHg). Following excision of the hydatid cyst, the tube was withdrawn above the carina into the trachea, and two lung ventilation was continued until the end of surgery.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Postoperative pain in children: a survey of parents' expectations and perceptions of their children's experiences.
Parental expectation and participation in postoperative analgesia is very important in paediatric practice. In order to improve postoperative pain management in children, the parents of 31 elective surgical children, three months to 15 years of age, were asked preoperatively about their expectations regarding their children's postoperative pain and pain relief. At 24 h after surgery, the parents were asked about their perceptions of their children's pain and pain control. ⋯ Nine (29%) of the children experienced severe or unbearable pain or experienced pain for the whole of the 24 h after surgery. An approach to improve pain management in children could be for the hospital staff to reorganize and to develop an 'acute pain service'. A pain service may not require new technology, but instead be based on more effective communication and skill in utilizing the traditional systems.