Articles: child.
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Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth · Dec 2013
ReviewModeling anesthetic developmental neurotoxicity using human stem cells.
Mounting preclinical evidence in rodents and nonhuman primates has demonstrated that prolonged exposure of developing animals to general anesthetics can induce widespread neuronal cell death followed by long-term memory and learning disabilities. In vitro experimental evidence from cultured neonatal animal neurons confirmed the in vivo findings. However, there is no direct clinical evidence of the detrimental effects of anesthetics in human fetuses, infants, or children. ⋯ Application of this high throughput in vitro stem cell neurogenesis approach is a major stride toward ensuring the safety of anesthetic agents in young children. This in vitro human model allows us to (1) screen the toxic effects of various anesthetics under controlled conditions during intense neuronal growth, (2) find the trigger for the anesthetic-induced catastrophic chain of toxic events, and (3) develop prevention strategies to avoid this toxic effect. In this article, we reviewed the current findings in anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity studies, specifically focusing on the in vitro human stem cell model.
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Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has become a major public health concern as its incidence and severity have increased in tandem with the obesity epidemic. In children, OSA is now recognized as a common disorder and can be associated with significant morbidity. OSA belongs to a spectrum of diagnoses known as sleep-related breathing disorders in which the airway is completely (apnoea) or partially (hypopnoea) occluded during sleep despite continued respiratory efforts. ⋯ A thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of OSA, careful and complete preoperative assessment, meticulous intraoperative and postoperative management, and early recognition of potential perioperative complications are essential to optimization of outcomes. The safe anaesthetic management of a child with OSA requires an anaesthetic technique tailored to the underlying aetiology and severity of OSA and the surgical procedure. This review focuses on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of OSA, and the state-of-the-art and future directions in the perioperative management of children with OSA.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2013
ReviewRegional anesthesia approaches to pain management in pediatric palliative care: a review of current knowledge.
Although systemic analgesic therapies are the mainstay of pain treatment in pediatric palliative care, there are cases where they fail to adequately relieve symptoms or produce side effects that undermine effectiveness. Regional anesthesia may be considered as a potential therapy for these patients. ⋯ The present medical literature on regional anesthesia techniques in children receiving palliative care is limited to case reports and case series. Based on this evidence, recommendations must be provisional. Careful thought and discussion with pain management specialists are encouraged when pain symptoms are inadequately managed or the treatments produce deleterious side effects.
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Pediatr. Clin. North Am. · Dec 2013
ReviewDevelopmental hemostasis: clinical implications from the fetus to the adolescent.
The coagulation system involves a dynamic group of procoagulation and anticoagulation proteins that appear early in fetal life and whose levels change throughout childhood and into the teenage years. This process is called developmental hemostasis. Developmental hemostasis creates unique challenges for clinicians affecting the diagnosis and treatment of coagulation disorders during early childhood. The objective of this review is to assist pediatricians in understanding the coagulation system in fetal life and childhood and to provide guidance for interpreting basic coagulation testing, which will result in an improved ability to diagnose and treat patients with hemostatic and thrombotic disorders.
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The technology of anesthesia ventilators has substantially progressed during last years. The choice of a pediatric anesthesia ventilator needs to be led by multiple parameters: requirement, technical (pneumatic performance, velocity of halogenated or oxygen delivery), cost (purchase, in operation, preventive and curative maintenance), reliability, ergonomy, upgradability, and compatibility. ⋯ Paradoxically, complex and various available technologies had not been much prospectively studied. Anesthesia ventilators performances in pediatrics need to be clarified in further clinical and bench test studies.