Articles: child.
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Anasthesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther · Jan 2014
Review[Nausea and vomiting after anaesthesia for children - Big problems for little patients].
Postoperative nausea and vomiting are undesirable and unpleasant side effects after surgery and anaesthesia associated with delayed oral intake and postoperative recovery, and impaired parental satisfaction. Since current modalities against PONV are cheap, highly effective, and almost free from relevant side-effects - providing contraindications are appropriately considered -, recommendations tend to move away from risk-score guided administration of antiemetic towards a more liberal administration policy or even favour routine administration to children undergoing general anaesthesia for surgery combined with total-intrevanous anaesthesia using propfol and reduction of perioperative opioid administration.
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Sepsis is the leading cause of death in children worldwide. Although the diagnosis and management of sepsis in infants and children is largely influenced by studies done in adults, there are important considerations relevant for pediatrics. This article highlights pediatric-specific issues related to the definition of sepsis and its epidemiology and management. ⋯ The management of pediatric sepsis must be tailored to the child's age and immune capacity, and to the site, severity, and source of the infection. It is important for clinicians to be aware of infection-related syndromes that primarily affect children. Although children in developed countries are more likely to survive severe infections than adults, many survivors have chronic health impairments.
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J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract · Jan 2014
ReviewAntibiotic allergies in children and adults: from clinical symptoms to skin testing diagnosis.
Hypersensitivity reactions to β-lactam and non-β-lactam antibiotics are commonly reported. They can be classified as immediate or nonimmediate according to the time interval between the last drug administration and their onset. Immediate reactions occur within 1 hour after the last drug administration and are manifested clinically by urticaria and/or angioedema, rhinitis, bronchospasm, and anaphylactic shock; they may be mediated by specific IgE-antibodies. ⋯ Immediate reactions can be assessed by immediate-reading skin tests and, in selected cases, drug provocation tests. Nonimmediate reactions can be assessed by delayed-reading skin tests, patch tests, and drug provocation tests. However, skin tests have been well validated mainly for β-lactams but less for other classes of antibiotics.
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Even after a vast safety record, the role of spinal anesthesia (SA) as a primary anesthetic technique in children remains contentious and is mainly limited to specialized pediatric centers. It is usually practiced on moribund former preterm infants (<60 weeks post-conception) to reduce the incidence of post-operative apnea when compared to general anesthesia (GA). However, there is ample literature to suggest its safety and efficacy for suitable procedures in older children as well. ⋯ Despite its widespread use, incidence of side-effects is low and permanent neurological sequalae have not been reported with SA. Literature yields encouraging results regarding its safety and efficacy. Technical skills and constant vigilance of experienced anesthesia providers is indispensable to achieve good results with this technique.
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Perioperative management of a child with sickle-cell disease requires close collaboration between hematologist, surgeon and anesthetist. The level of preoperative preparation must consider both the surgical risk and the impact of the disease. Preoperative hydration and blood transfusion are the most important part of preoperative management. ⋯ Preoperative assessment of a child with thalassemia must include evaluation of the impact of chronic hemolytic anemia and iron overload induced by repeated transfusions. The most important factor in the management of a child with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is to avoid exposure to oxidative stressors. Outpatients should be informed of the risk of hemolytic crisis, and free hemoglobin in the urine should lead to discontinuation of drugs associated with hemolysis and to maintenance of urine output to prevent acute renal failure.