Anesthesiology clinics
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The volume of pediatric invasive and noninvasive procedures outside the operating room continues to increase. The acuity and complexity of patient clinical condition has resulted in the expansion of the anesthesiologist's role in remote sites. The anesthesia provider must ensure patient safety by assuring appropriate patient preparation, having available required equipment for monitoring and rescue, planning careful sedation/anesthesia management, continuing vigilance and observation into the recovery phase, and requiring strict discharge criteria. A quality improvement program for the department of anesthesiology should review anesthetic and sedation outcomes of patients both inside and outside the operating room.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Mar 2014
ReviewThe anesthetic management of children with pulmonary hypertension in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
Children need cardiac catheterization to establish the diagnosis and monitor the response to treatment when undergoing drug therapy for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Children with PAH receiving general anesthesia for cardiac catheterization procedures are at significantly increased risk of perioperative complications in comparison with other children. The most acute life-threatening complication is a pulmonary hypertensive crisis. It is essential that the anesthesiologist caring for these children understands the pathophysiology of the disease, how anesthetic medications may affect the patient's hemodynamics, and how to manage an acute pulmonary hypertensive crisis.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Mar 2014
ReviewPreoperative anxiety management, emergence delirium, and postoperative behavior.
Preoperative anxiolysis is important for children scheduled for surgery. The nature of the anxiety depends on several factors, including age, temperament, past hospitalizations, and socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. ⋯ Symptoms usually last approximately 15 minutes and resolve spontaneously. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale is used to diagnose ED and evaluate therapeutic interventions for ED such as propofol and opioids.
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The use of regional anesthesia in children is increasing. Rapid advancement in the use of ultrasound guidance has allowed for a greater ease in performing peripheral regional anesthesia in pediatrics. Successful peripheral nerve blockade provides children with analgesia that will improve their operative experience.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Mar 2014
ReviewChallenges in pediatric neuroanesthesia: awake craniotomy, intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging, and interventional neuroradiology.
This article gives a review of 3 challenges in caring for children undergoing neurosurgical and neurointerventional procedures. Anesthesiologists may have experience with certain aspects of these situations but may not have extensive experience with each clinical setting. This review addresses issues with awake craniotomy, intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging, and neurointerventional procedures in children with neurologic disease. Familiarization with these complex clinical scenarios and their unique considerations allows the anesthesiologist to deliver optimal care and helps facilitate the best possible outcome for these patients.