Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Dec 2018
Review Meta AnalysisFrequency of medication error in pediatric anesthesia: A systematic review and meta-analytic estimate.
Clinical evidence shows that pediatric anesthesia patients are subject to a higher rate of life-threatening medical errors than their adult counterparts. Medication error in adult anesthesia is estimated to occur to 1 in 133 anesthetic administrations, but such a figure has not been determined for pediatric anesthesia patients. Individual studies of medication error in pediatric anesthesia have ranged from rates of 0.01% to 1.92% of anesthetic uses. The present study is a systematic review that employs a meta-analytic estimate to determine the rate of medication error in pediatric anesthesia. ⋯ The present systematic review revealed a medication error rate of 1 per 1250 anesthetic administrations in pediatric anesthesia. This result is significantly lower than would be expected given reported rates of medication error in adult anesthesia, which raises questions regarding the validity of research methods and reporting of medication error in pediatric anesthesia. Future investigations of medication error should employ methodologies other than self-reporting of error, such as retrospective chart review.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Nov 2018
ReviewDiagnosis and perioperative management in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing.
Sleep-disordered breathing has a prevalence of 12% in the pediatric population. It represents a spectrum of disorders encompassing abnormalities of the upper airway that lead to sleep disruption, including primary snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and sleep-related hypoventilation. Sleep-disordered breathing is the most common indication for adenotonsillectomy, one of the most common procedures performed in children. ⋯ This article presents an overview of the recent literature on the perioperative care of pediatric patients with sleep-disordered breathing. It highlights innovative modalities and limitations in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, the importance of a tailored anesthetic/analgesic approach to children with obstructive sleep apnea, and the need for postoperative monitoring. It also brings to focus that further studies on the perioperative care of these children are necessary.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Oct 2018
Review Case ReportsCervical instability in patients with Trisomy 21: The eternal gamble.
Patients with Trisomy 21 are particularly at risk of cervical instability due to ligamentous laxity and osseous abnormalities. Up to 30% of Trisomy 21 patients are affected by atlanto-axial or atlanto-occipital instability, but only 1%-2% of cases are symptomatic. The radiologic assessment of cervical instability is not unanimously considered mandatory. ⋯ Several measurements have been investigated to assess the presence and degree of cervical instability; however, no conclusive recommendations have been forthcoming. In daily practice, many anesthesiologists may provide anesthesia via such means as laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation during surgery, without any radiological investigations before surgery. This review focuses on the diagnostic and prognostic measures available to evaluate the presence and degree of cervical instability in patients with Trisomy 21 and to propose practical recommendations to be applied in clinical practice.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Sep 2018
ReviewAnesthesia and the developing brain: A way forward for laboratory and clinical research.
All commonly used general anesthetics have been shown to cause neurotoxicity in animal models, including nonhuman primates. Opinion, however, remains divided over how cumulative evidence from preclinical and human studies in this field should be interpreted and its translation to current practices in pediatric anesthesia and surgery. A group of international experts in laboratory and clinical sciences recently convened in Genoa, Italy, to evaluate the current state of both laboratory and clinical research and discuss future directions for basic, translational, and clinical studies in this field. ⋯ If anesthetics cause structural or functional adverse neurological effects in young children, alternative or mitigating strategies need to be considered. While protective or mitigating strategies have been repeatedly studied in animals, there are currently no human data to support alternative anesthetic strategies in clinical practice. Lastly, it was noted that there is still considerable debate over the clinical relevance of anesthesia neurotoxicity, and the need to evaluate the impact of other aspects of perioperative care on neurodevelopment must also be considered.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2018
ReviewCompliance with perioperative prophylaxis guidelines and the use of novel outcome measures.
Postoperative wound infections represent an important source of morbidity and mortality in children. Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis has been shown to decrease the risk of developing infections and hospital guidelines surrounding antibiotic use exist to standardize patient care. Despite supporting evidence, rates of compliance with guidelines vary. ⋯ Metrics such as days alive out of hospital and length of hospital stay may be useful alternatives for ongoing monitoring of infections and identifying improvements in patient outcomes. Guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis have facilitated an increase in the correct provision of perioperative antibiotics and a reduction in the incidence of postoperative infection. Measures of patient outcome such as days alive out of hospital and length of hospital stay are easy to collect and calculate but further work is needed to confirm the utility of these measures for monitoring infection rates.