Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
An evaluation of preoperative anxiety in a population of parents of infants and children undergoing ambulatory surgery.
We attempted to identify specific predictors of preoperative parental anxiety in a population of parents of healthy infants and children undergoing elective, outpatient surgery. We specifically examined the following factors: age of the child, whether or not the child had previous surgery, whether or not the parents' other children had previous surgery, parental gender, highest level of education obtained by the parent, and whether or not there was prior discussion between the parent and anaesthesiologist. In the immediate preoperative period, a questionnaire (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) was given to all parents of infants and children presenting for elective, outpatient surgery. ⋯ Our results indicate that parents are more anxious when their child is less than one year of age and when it is the child's first surgery. When assessed separately by parental gender, both these factors were significant for mothers but not their fathers. We recommend that, although anaesthesiologists generally tailor their preoperative preparation based upon the best needs of their patients and families, they pay special attention to the groups we have identified which are at increased risk for preoperative anxiety.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
The rectus sheath block in paediatric anaesthesia: new indications for an old technique?
The rectus sheath block has been used with success for postoperative analgesia in adults. This paper reviews the anatomy of the rectus sheath, and presents our initial experience of using the block to provide intra- and postoperative analgesia in children having repair of umbilical and paraumbilical hernia. The rectus sheath block appears to be a useful technique in children, particularly for paediatric day-cases surgery.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Case ReportsRight bevelled tube for selective left bronchial intubation in a child undergoing right thoracotomy.
Left bronchial intubation was used to achieve selective left lung ventilation in a five-year-old child, undergoing thoracotomy for excision of a hydatid cyst of the right lung. Intubation of the left main stem bronchus was easily achieved from the first attempt by a right bevelled tracheal tube. ⋯ One lung ventilation using 1-2% halothane in 100% oxygen was associated with Spo2 that ranged between 95-97%, and endtidal PETCO2 ranging between 3.9-4.5 kPa (30-35 mmHg). Following excision of the hydatid cyst, the tube was withdrawn above the carina into the trachea, and two lung ventilation was continued until the end of surgery.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialCisatracurium during halothane and balanced anaesthesia in children.
Cisatracurium, 51W89, is one of the ten stereoisomers of Tracrium which, unlike atracurium, has been reported to have a lack of histamine mediated cardiovascular effects at doses as high as 8 x ED95 in adults. We compared the time-course of neuromuscular effects of 80 micrograms.kg-1 or 100 micrograms.kg-1 cisatracurium during N2O-O2-halothane or N2O-O2-opioid anaesthesia, respectively, in 32 children 2-12 years old. Neuromuscular function was monitored by evoked adductor pollicis EMG. ⋯ Train-of-four ratio recovered to 0.70 in 2.5 (1.8-3.0) or 3.2 (2.1-4.3) min following neostigmine during halothane or balanced anaesthesia, respectively (NS). Changes in blood pressure or heart rate following cisatracurium were negligible. We regard cisatracurium as a safe and promising intermediate duration muscle relaxant the effects of which can easily be reversed with neostigmine.