Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2009
ReviewPediatric emergency and critical care in low-income countries.
The United Nations' Millennium Development Goal 4 is to reduce the global under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. Achieving this goal requires substantial strengthening of health systems in low-income countries. ⋯ Improving intensive care units, training health staff in the fundamentals of critical care concentrating on ABC - airway, breathing, and circulation - and developing guidelines for the management of common medical emergencies could all improve the quality of inpatient pediatric care. Integration with obstetrics, adult medicine and surgery in a combined emergency and critical care service would concentrate resources and expertise.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2009
CommentCon: anesthesia for children in the developing world should be delivered by medical anesthetists.
Surgical care for pediatric patients in poor countries is severely limited by the availability of surgeons, healthcare resources and investment in anesthesia services. Where a surgical service exists, a shortage of trained medical anesthetists limits the care that can be delivered. ⋯ These providers should be integrated with, and supported by, their medical colleagues to ensure safe practice. Action at governmental level is required to resolve the difficult issues described in this paper.