Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2005
The use of physical restraints on paediatric intensive care units.
Physical restraints are used in critical care units in an attempt to reduce the risk of treatment interference. Their use remains controversial and there are concerns regarding the effectiveness and safety of restraint techniques. There are few data available on the prevalence of physical restraint use in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) in the UK and we have therefore conducted a cross-sectional survey to define current clinical practice. ⋯ Physical restraint is a commonly used technique on PICU in the UK. There is considerable variation in clinical practice and current clinical guidelines which are available do not deal specifically with children. Prospective randomized trials would be necessary to fully investigate the role of physical restraints amongst critically ill children.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2005
Dimensions of the neonatal cricothyroid membrane - how feasible is a surgical cricothyroidotomy?
Airway management of the neonate remains a cornerstone in neonatal resuscitation which in most cases involves tracheal intubation. However, difficult intubations do occur. Cricothyroidotomy is recognized as an entry point below the vocal cords. This procedure becomes increasingly difficult in young children and is not recommended in children under the age of 5 years. Little is known about the anatomy of the neonatal airway, especially the size of the cricothyroid membrane. The aim of the study was to determine the dimensions of the cricothyroid membrane in neonates. ⋯ Results of this study indicate that the dimensions of the cricothyroid membrane are too small for passing a tracheal tube as the dimensions of the tube exceeds that of the cricothyroid membrane. This could fracture the cartilages of the larynx. The performance of a surgical cricothyroidotomy with passing of a tracheal tube is therefore strongly discouraged in neonatal patients.
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Sevoflurane has become the volatile agent of choice for inhalation induction of anesthesia. Hemodynamic stability and lack of respiratory irritation have justified its rapid extension to pediatric inhalation induction. The epileptogenic potential of sevoflurane has been suspected since the first case reports of abnormal movements in children without a history of epilepsy. ⋯ The use of sevoflurane in children, with its remarkable cardiovascular profile, should include a number of precautions. Among them, the limitation of the depth of anesthesia is essential. The wide use of cerebral function monitoring (the most simple being the EEG), may permit optimization of sevoflurane dose and avoidance of burst suppression and major epileptiform signs in fragile subjects, notably the very young and the very old.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Apr 2005
Meta AnalysisPediatric intravenous paracetamol (propacetamol) pharmacokinetics: a population analysis.
The aim of this study was to describe propacetamol pharmacokinetics in children in order to predict concentrations after a standard dosing regimen of propacetamol 30 mg x kg(-1) (15 mg x kg(-1) paracetamol) 6 h. ⋯ A mean paracetamol serum concentration of 10 mg x l(-1) is achieved in children 2-15 years given a standard dose of propacetamol 30 mg x kg(-1) 6 h. This concentration in the effect compartment is associated with a pain reduction of 2.6/10 after tonsillectomy and provides satisfactory analgesia for mild to moderate pain. Clearance is reduced in children less than 1 year of age and the target concentration of 10 mg x l(-1) may be achieved by scaling this standard dose regimen using predicted clearance in this younger age group.