Anaesthesia
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We measured pre-operative hepatic blood flow and postoperative morphine concentration in infants with or without biliary atresia. Thirty-four infants (0-3 months) with biliary atresia undergoing portoenterostomy (Kasai operation) were included and hepatic blood flow was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging before surgery in 12 of them. Sixteen subjects (0-3 months) without liver disease undergoing abdominal or pelvic surgery acted as controls and six of them had hepatic blood flow assessed. ⋯ The median (IQR [range]) morphine concentration after 24 h infusion was 5.9 (4.5-16.4 [2.9-42.2]) ng.ml(-1) and 6.4 (3.2-12.0 [1.9-48.6]) ng.ml(-1) , respectively (p = 0.460). An inverse regression relation was found between the morphine concentration and the hepatic perfusion index (R(2) = 0.519, p = 0.001). Compensatory increases in hepatic arterial blood flow maintain the total hepatic blood flow in infants with biliary atresia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The use of a nasogastric tube to facilitate nasotracheal intubation: a randomised controlled trial.
During nasotracheal intubation, the tracheal tube passes through either the upper or lower pathway in the nasal cavity, and it has been reported to be safer that the tracheal tube passes though the lower pathway, just below the inferior turbinate. We evaluated the use of a nasogastric tube as a guide to facilitate tracheal tube passage through the lower pathway, compared with the 'conventional' technique (blind insertion of the tracheal tube into the nasal cavity). ⋯ In 20 out of 30 patients (66.7%) with the nasogastric tube-guided technique, the tracheal tube passed through the lower pathway, compared with 8 out of 30 patients (26.7%) with the 'conventional' technique (p = 0.004). Use of the nasogastric tube-guided technique reduced the incidence and severity of epistaxis (p = 0.027), improved navigability (p = 0.034) and required fewer manipulations (p = 0.001) than the 'conventional' technique.