British journal of anaesthesia
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Dexmedetomidine utilisation in paediatric patients is increasing. We hypothesised that intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine in children is associated with longer postanaesthesia care unit length of stay, higher healthcare costs, and side-effects. ⋯ Intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine is associated with unwarranted haemodynamic effects, longer postanaesthesia care unit length of stay, and higher costs, without preventive effects on emergence delirium.
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Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) significantly impacts patients' recovery and quality of life. Although environmental risk factors are well-established, genetic risk remains less understood. ⋯ These findings suggest a key protective role for the adaptive immune system in the development of chronic post-surgical pain.
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Opioid misuse in the paediatric population is understudied. This study aimed to develop a machine learning classifier to differentiate between occasional and sustained opioid users among children and adolescents in outpatient settings. ⋯ Our model showed promising performance in predicting sustained opioid use among paediatric patients. The online risk prediction tool can facilitate compliance to such tools by clinicians. This study presents the potential of machine learning in identifying at-risk paediatric populations for sustained opioid use, potentially contributing to secondary prevention of opioid abuse.
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Recent studies report conflicting results regarding the relationship between labour epidural analgesia (LEA) in mothers and neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring. We evaluated behavioural and neuropsychological test scores in children of mothers who used LEA. ⋯ Although LEA exposure was associated with slightly higher total behavioural scores, there was no difference in subscores, increased risk of clinical deficits, or dose-response relationship. These results argue against LEA exposure being associated with consistent, clinically significant neurodevelopmental deficits in children.
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Variants of perioperative cardiac output-guided haemodynamic therapy algorithms have been tested over the last few decades, without clear evidence of effectiveness. Newer approaches have focussed on individualisation of physiological targets and have been tested in early efficacy trials. Uncertainty about the benefits remains. Adoption of novel trial designs could overcome the limitations of smaller trials of this complex intervention and accelerate the exploration of future developments.