Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Sep 2003
Case ReportsUse of erythropoietin for bloodless surgery in a Jehovah's witness infant.
We present a case of surgery in a 2-month-old infant of the Jehovah's Witness (JW) faith weighing 2.8 kg scheduled for left upper lobectomy because of congenital lobar emphysema. He presented with physiological anaemia (haematocrit 33.8%) in accordance with his age. Because of the relative emergency of surgery, a short erythropoietin course was instituted. ⋯ Iron was administered orally and intravenously over the entire perioperative period. No side-effects from either erythropoietin or intravenously administered iron were observed. To our knowledge, this is the first case published of a short perioperative rHuEPO course in an infant.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Sep 2003
Editorial CommentNeuraxial blockade and cardiac surgery in children.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Sep 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA randomized, controlled study of fluid management in infants and toddlers during surgery: hydroxyethyl starch 6% (HES 70/0.5) vs lactated Ringer's solution.
Volume replacement with hydroxyethyl starch (HES), a synthetic colloid, is widely accepted in adults, but only few data exist regarding its use in children. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a low molecular weight HES solution (HES 70/0.5) compared with lactated Ringer's solution (LR) on haemoglobin levels as an indirect measure of plasma expansion in infants and toddlers, and its perioperative safety. ⋯ A larger decrease in haemoglobin levels in infants and toddlers after HES 70/0.5 (20 ml.kg-1) compared with LR indicates a more effective plasma expansion. HES might be considered as a volume expander in the paediatric population.