Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jun 2021
Rapid systemic uptake of naloxone after intranasal administration in children.
Naloxone has a high affinity for the µ-opioid receptor and acts as a competitive antagonist, thus reversing the effects of opioids. Naloxone is often administrated intravenously, but there is a growing interest in the intranasal route in treating patients with opioid overdose, and in reversing effects after therapeutic use of opioids. As administration is painless and no intravenous access is needed, the intranasal route is especially useful in children. ⋯ This study confirms the clinical experience that the rapid effect of naloxone after intranasal administration in children was reflected in rapid systemic uptake to achieve higher peak plasma concentrations than previously reported in adults.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jun 2021
The virtual pediatric perioperative home, experience at a major metropolitan safety net hospital.
Successes from anesthesiologist-led perioperative surgical homes in the adult patient population have inspired similar initiatives by pediatric hospitals. Typically the care coordination for these perioperative homes is run through hospital-funded, on-site, preanesthesia clinics. Preliminary data from pediatric perioperative homes have shown promising results in improved patient outcomes and decreased length of hospital stay. The majority of pediatric surgeries within the country are performed in nonpediatric hospitals. Such centers may not have the infrastructure or financial resources for a freestanding pediatric preanesthesia clinic. Faced with this situation at the largest safety net hospital in New England, the authors present their experience designing and implementing a "Virtual Pediatric Perioperative Home," a telemedicine-based triage and preanesthetic optimization for pediatric patients at Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. ⋯ The authors describe the design and successful implementation of a telemedicine-based pediatric preanesthesia triage and medical optimization service at a large safety net hospital. By creating a communication network of pediatric subspecialists, the anesthesiologists were able to, at minimal institutional cost, coordinate care for children with a variety of comorbidities leading up to the day of surgery. This yielded a 9.4% same day cancellation rate in a complex, socioeconomically disadvantaged pediatric patient population at a general hospital.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jun 2021
Prediction of levobupivacaine concentrations in neonates and infants following neuraxial rescue blocks.
Pharmacokinetic simulation was used to characterize levobupivacaine disposition after regional anesthetic rescue for failed spinal anesthesia in neonates and infants. ⋯ Total bupivacaine concentrations greater than 2.5 mg L-1 are associated with neurotoxicity in adults. Predicted concentrations after either a repeat spinal or a caudal rescue dose of levobupivacaine 1.5 mg kg-1 1 h after spinal levobupivacaine administration are below the neurotoxic concentration threshold.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jun 2021
Dose Estimation for Bivalirudin during Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Bypass.
A typical adult-based bivalirudin regimen during cardiopulmonary bypass uses a loading dose of 1 mg kg-1 and a circuit prime (volume L × 13 mg) with a subsequent intravenous infusion 2.5 mg h-1 kg-1 . Dose in children remains unknown. We wished to determine a practical bivalirudin dosing schedule for children undergoing surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. ⋯ Bivalirudin infusion in children should be started after loading dose at rates greater than those used in adults. Dose in neonates remains uncertain because neither pharmacokinetics nor coagulation pharmacodynamics have been adequately characterized.