Der Anaesthesist
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In unconscious, spontaneously breathing and anaesthetised children, a high incidence of partial or complete airway obstruction jeopardizes sufficient oxygenation. In this situation, the most important and efficient manoeuvre is to open up the upper airway. Chin lift, jaw thrust and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are proven and effective methods for opening an obstructed upper airway. In addition to these simple airway manoeuvres, different techniques of body positioning (e.g., lateral positioning or supine position in combination with the "sniffing position") are effective to improve and maintain upper airway patency.
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Review
[New perspectives for simulator-based training in paediatric anaesthesia and emergency medicine].
Anaesthesia and emergency medical care for infants and toddlers is often associated with high clinical demands and specific challenges. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of interventions is performed by anaesthetists and emergency physicians with no specialised paediatric training and little experience in the management of anaesthetic incidents and emergencies specific to these age groups. ⋯ Recently, high-fidelity infant simulators have become available, which permit authentic exposure to a large spectrum of scenarios in paediatric anaesthesia and emergency medicine. A multimodular concept of training, including such simulator-based techniques, may relieve the widespread shortage in clinical experience, and hence greatly facilitate improvement of quality of care and patient safety.