Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
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Neonatal resuscitation techniques are evolving. More sophisticated methods of monitoring have emerged and current practices have been challenged. It is recognised that most newborns will require only gentle assistance to facilitate the transition from intrauterine life. ⋯ Methods of warming infants have become increasingly effective and the use of servo-control is emphasised to prevent overheating. Evidence to support therapeutic hypothermia for the birth-asphyxiated baby is solid and cooling should be considered a standard of care. The next revision of the International Liason Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Guidelines is eagerly awaited in 2010.
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Postoperative apnoea in ex-premature infants is inversely proportional to gestational age at birth and postmenstrual age (PMA). Spinal anaesthesia is an important technique in ex-premature infants as it reduces the risk of postoperative apnoea, provided intra-operative sedation is avoided. ⋯ There are a variety of reasons why awake regional is not the preferred technique for ex-premature infants undergoing lower abdominal surgery in many centres, and there is also controversy over the appropriate anaesthetic technique for outpatient surgery in infants <60 weeks PMA. A pragmatic decision analysis on the selection of anaesthetic techniques for inguinal hernia repair in infants is presented.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Sep 2010
ReviewUse of pharmaceuticals 'off-label' in the neonate.
Neonates are frequently not studied in the development of a novel pharmacological agent. With lack of data to support safe and effective use of a new agent in this population, sponsors will not receive approval for labelling the agent for use in this age group from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). This causes a significant conundrum for the clinician. ⋯ This article provides the clinician with an introductory understanding of the approval process of pharmaceuticals in the United States by USFDA. Models of clinical trial design are noted. Examples of anaesthetic and non-anaesthetic agents and their development and use are discussed as either 'labelled' or 'off-label' indications.
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Perioperative fluid management in paediatrics has been the subject of many controversies in recent years, but fluid management in the neonatal period has not been considered in most reviews and guidelines. The literature regarding neonatal fluid management mainly appears in the paediatric textbooks and few recent data are available, except for resuscitation and fluid loading during shock and major surgery. In the context of anaesthesia, many neonates requiring surgery within the first month of life have organ malformation and/or dysfunction. This article aims at reviewing basic physiological considerations important for neonatal fluid management and mainly focusses on fluid maintenance and replacement during surgery.
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Up to recently, inserting venous or arterial 'lines' in the neonate was essentially based on clinical skill and experience. The recent advent of portable ultrasound (US) machines with paediatric probes has resulted in the development of new approaches that, if correctly learned and used, should allow quicker and safer vascular access in this population. Both classic and new techniques are reviewed on the basis of literature and authors' experience.