Anesthesiology
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There are multiple preoperative risk scores for pediatric mortality. The aim of this study was to systematically describe and compare the existing studies of patient-specific multispecialty risk prediction scores for perioperative mortality in pediatric populations, with the goal of guiding clinicians on which may be most appropriate for use in the preoperative setting. ⋯ There are numerous scores available for the prediction of mortality in pediatric populations, all of which exhibited good performance. However, many have high or unclear risks of bias, and most have not undergone external validation.
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Increasing wildfire activity worldwide has led to exposure to poor air quality and numerous detrimental health impacts. This study hypothesized an association between exposure to poor air quality from wildfire smoke and adverse respiratory events under general anesthesia in pediatric patients. ⋯ Pediatric patients with underlying risk factors for respiratory complications under general anesthesia had a greater incidence of adverse respiratory events during periods of unhealthy air quality caused by wildfire smoke. In this vulnerable patient population, postponing elective anesthetics should be considered when air quality is poor.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Preoperative Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis for the Treatment of Pain following Mastectomy: A Randomized, Participant- and Observer-Masked, Sham-Controlled Study.
Ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis is an analgesic technique in which a percutaneous probe is used to reversibly ablate a peripheral nerve(s) using exceptionally low temperature, and has yet to be evaluated with randomized, controlled trials. Pain after mastectomy can be difficult to treat, and the authors hypothesized that the severity of surgically related pain would be lower on postoperative day 2 with the addition of cryoanalgesia compared with patients receiving solely standard-of-care treatment. ⋯ Percutaneous cryoneurolysis markedly improved analgesia without systemic side effects or complications after mastectomy.