Journal of pediatric surgery
-
Duodenal atresia is a well-recognized cause of neonatal bowel obstruction. General anesthesia with tracheal intubation is the traditional anesthetic technique for surgical correction of this condition. Metabolic abnormalities and fluid deficits coupled with residual anesthetics are known to increase the risk of postoperative apnea, prolonging the operating room time and delaying extubation. ⋯ In the current literature, there are reports of successful use of SA for simple infraumbilical surgery and, occasionally, for upper abdominal surgery, but there is no information on the use of SA in neonates for duodenal atresia repair. We present a case of duodenal atresia in a preterm infant at a gestational age of 30 weeks with coexisting bronchopulmonary dysplasia successfully repaired under SA. Further studies that compare the adverse effects with the potential advantages of SA are warranted before future recommendations are made for neonates who are undergoing upper abdominal surgery.
-
The aim of this study was to test the predictive value of interleukin (IL) 8 in the assessment of intestinal involvement in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a significant correlation of IL-8 with intestinal involvement in advanced NEC in a large patient population. Our results indicate that IL-8 may be a promising biomarker for assessing intestinal involvement in infants with advanced NEC.