Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Oct 2023
ReviewPharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic modeling of analgesics and sedatives in children.
Pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic modeling is an important tool which uses statistical methodology to provide a better understanding of the relationship between concentration and effect of drugs such as analgesics and sedatives. Pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic models also describe between-subject variability that allows identification of subgroups and dose adjustment for optimal pain management in individual patients. This approach is particularly useful in the pediatric population, where most drugs have received limited evaluation and dosing is extrapolated from adult practice. ⋯ An adequate assessment of analgesic and sedative effect using pain scales or brain activity measures is essential to build reliable pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic models. This is often challenging in children due to the multidimensional nature of pain and the limited sensitivity and specificity of some measurement tools. This review provides a summary of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic methodology used to describe the dose-concentration-effect relationship of analgesics and sedation in children, with a focus on the different pharmacodynamic endpoints and the challenges of pharmacodynamic modeling.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Oct 2023
ReviewPerioperative management of infant inguinal hernia surgery; a review of the recent literature.
Inguinal hernia surgery is one of the most common electively performed surgeries in infants. The common nature of inguinal hernia combined with the high-risk population involving a predominance of preterm infants makes this a particular area of interest for those concerned with their perioperative care. ⋯ The questions asked by clinicians include; when should the surgery occur, how should the surgery be performed (open or laparoscopic), how should the anesthesia be conducted, including regional versus general anesthesia and airway devices used, and what impact does anesthesia choice have on the developing brain? There is a paucity of evidence in the literature on the concerns, priorities or goals of the parents or caregivers but clearly their opinions do and should matter. In this article we review the current clinical surgical and anesthesia practice and evidence for infants undergoing inguinal hernia surgery to help clinicians answer these questions.