Anesthesiology clinics
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Hemoglobinopathies are diseases involving abnormalities of the structure or production of hemoglobin. Examples include sickle cell disease, the thalassemias, and rare hemoglobin variants producing cyanosis. ⋯ Hemoglobinopathies may present to the anesthesiologist as the primary cause of a surgical procedure, as an incidental complicating factor of a surgical patient, or with a problem arising from the disease itself. This article reviews the common types of hemoglobinopathies, presents a basic summary of the pathophysiology relevant to anesthesia, and outlines current perioperative management.
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The accurate assessment and effective treatment of acute pain in children in the hospital setting is a high priority. During the past 2 to 3 decades, pediatric pain management has gained tremendous knowledge with respect to the understanding of developmental neurobiology, developmental pharmacology the use of analgesics in children, the use of regional techniques in children, and of the psychological needs of children in pain. A wide range of medications is available to treat a variety of pain types. This article provides an overview of the most common analgesic medications and techniques used to treat acute pain in children.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Jun 2009
Pediatric difficult airway management: current devices and techniques.
The anesthesiologist confronting the difficult pediatric airway is presented with a unique set of challenges. Adult difficult airway management techniques, such as awake or invasive approaches to airway management, often cannot be applied to children because of inadequate cooperation. ⋯ From a physiologic perspective, children have higher rates of oxygen consumption, significantly shortening the period of apnea that can be safely tolerated. Normal developmental anatomic differences of the pediatric airway and the presence of craniofacial dysmorphisms, presents additional challenges to tracheal intubation.