Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Feb 2012
The severity and duration of postoperative pain and analgesia requirements in children after tonsillectomy, orchidopexy, or inguinal hernia repair.
To provide parents of children with accurate information regarding postoperative pain, its management, and functioning following common surgical procedures. ⋯ After tonsillectomy, children experience significant pain and severe functional limitation for 7 days after surgery. For many children, pain and functional limitation persists throughout the second postoperative week. In children undergoing orchidopexy, paracetamol and ibuprofen provide adequate analgesia. Pain begins to subside after the first postoperative day, and normal activity resumes after 7 days. After IHR, children experience mild pain that can be treated with paracetamol and return to normal functioning after 4 days.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Feb 2012
Ultrasonographic gastric antral area and gastric contents volume in children.
Cross-sectional gastric antral area (GAA) measurements by ultrasonography (US) have been proposed for preoperative assessment of gastric volume in adults but not been validated in children. This study investigates whether in children gastric volumes can be predicted by US performed in different patient positions. ⋯ Correlations between GAA and TGV(w) or GFV(w) in children are best in the RDC position, but not sufficient to predict GFV(w) with a given GAA. Interpretation of isolated GAA values may be misleading.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Feb 2012
Evaluation of air-Q™ intubating laryngeal airway as a conduit for tracheal intubation in infants--a pilot study.
Air-Q™ intubating laryngeal airway (ILA) has been used successfully as a conduit for tracheal intubation in pediatric difficult airway. However, its use as an airway device and conduit for intubation in infants is not yet evaluated. ⋯ The ILA is a safe and easy-to-use supraglottic airway device for intubation with FOB in infants with normal airway. Insertion and removal of ILA are easy with satisfactory oropharyngeal seal and ventilation.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Feb 2012
Case ReportsIntrathecal infusion of bupivacaine and clonidine provides effective analgesia in a terminally ill child.
The intrathecal infusion of drugs to provide analgesia for terminally ill children with refractory pain is a rarely utilized but very effective technique. A number of pharmacological agents, most commonly opioids and local anesthetics, have been administered intrathecally for this purpose. ⋯ The alpha-2 agonist clonidine is commonly used to augment local anesthetic techniques for postsurgical pain in children and for the management of refractory cancer pain in adults, but there is only a single report of the use of clonidine intrathecally in a terminally ill child. We present the case of the youngest reported child to have received intrathecal analgesia for terminal care: a 3-year-old boy with advanced pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma, whose refractory pain was managed effectively with an intrathecal infusion of bupivacaine and preservative-free clonidine.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Feb 2012
Substantial postoperative pain is common among children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy.
Laparoscopic appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in children. However, to our knowledge, the postoperative pain experience of children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy has never been described. In this study, we assessed the postoperative pain experience of children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. ⋯ These preliminary data suggest that substantial postoperative pain is common in children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. More studies of postoperative pain outcomes among children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy and other common pediatric surgical procedures are needed.