Journal of pediatric surgery
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Comparative Study
Regional anesthesia is a good alternative to general anesthesia in pediatric surgery: Experience in 1,554 children.
Although caudal and spinal blocks are modern and safe techniques, in many centers children still are operated on under general anesthesia (GA), or the blocks are used for postoperative analgesia after GA in infraumbilical operations. The authors aimed to document the results and the complications of 1,554 regional anesthesia cases, thereby assessing their validity. ⋯ Caudal anesthesia seems to be an inexpensive, simple, and effective technique not only as a supplement for postoperative analgesia, but also as a single method of anesthesia. and the authors recommend its use in a wider setting of clinical entities in infraumbilical surgical procedures of children.
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The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) recently has reported a significant number of injuries and deaths in the home related to televisions (TV) falling on children. To date, little is known regarding the significance of this mechanism of injury in childhood trauma. The current investigation was designed to examine the risk factors, spectrum of injuries, and operative intervention required in children injured by falling televisions. ⋯ These data show that the majority of television-related injuries occur in toddlers (1 to 3 years) who were left unattended at home. The mortality rate was surprisingly high, especially in children = years from subsequent head injuries. Prevention focused on improved public awareness of this danger, and modified design of the standard support structures can decrease the number of injuries, which will benefit children overall.