Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Effective pain relief with continuous intrapleural bupivacaine after thoracotomy in infants and children.
The effect of continuous intrapleural bupivacaine on pain relief after lateral thoracotomy was studied in nine infants (< or = 15 kg body weight) and 11 children (> 15 kg body weight). An intrapleural catheter was inserted under direct vision during surgery. After extubation, the patients were transferred to the ICU where vital signs and pain scores were monitored. ⋯ The lack of any recognizable side effects or complications related to this method has been most encouraging. Only one child required a supplementary dose of an opioid. We conclude that continuous intrapleural access has proved to be a safe and suitable route for pain relief in infants and children following thoracotomy.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Postoperative pain in children: a survey of parents' expectations and perceptions of their children's experiences.
Parental expectation and participation in postoperative analgesia is very important in paediatric practice. In order to improve postoperative pain management in children, the parents of 31 elective surgical children, three months to 15 years of age, were asked preoperatively about their expectations regarding their children's postoperative pain and pain relief. At 24 h after surgery, the parents were asked about their perceptions of their children's pain and pain control. ⋯ Nine (29%) of the children experienced severe or unbearable pain or experienced pain for the whole of the 24 h after surgery. An approach to improve pain management in children could be for the hospital staff to reorganize and to develop an 'acute pain service'. A pain service may not require new technology, but instead be based on more effective communication and skill in utilizing the traditional systems.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 1996
Historical ArticlePaediatric anaesthesia in Australia: origins and developments.