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Performance Accuracy of Wrist-Worn Oximetry and Its Automated Output Parameters for Screening Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases the risk of perioperative adverse events in children. While polysomnography remains the reference standard for OSA diagnosis, oximetry is a valuable screening tool. The traditional practice is the manual analysis of desaturation clusters derived from a tabletop device using the McGill oximetry score. However, automated analysis of wearable oximetry data can be an alternative. This study investigated the accuracy of wrist-worn oximetry with automated analysis as a preoperative OSA screening tool.

Taste-Masked Flucloxacillin Powder Part 2: Formulation Optimisation Using the Mixture Design Approach and Storage Stability

Flucloxacillin is prescribed to treat skin infections but its highly bitter taste is poorly tolerated in children. This work describes the application of the D-optimal mixture experimental design to identify the optimal component ratio of flucloxacillin, Eudragit EPO and palmitic acid to prepare flucloxacillin taste-masked microparticles that would be stable to storage and would inhibit flucloxacillin release in the oral cavity while facilitating the total release of the flucloxacillin load in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Postoperative complications and disposition for vascular surgery

Among all surgical specialties, vascular surgery has the greatest proportion of patients with unplanned admissions to the intensive care unit postoperatively. Therefore, current clinical pathways for the postoperative management of vascular surgery patients may need to be revised.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric anaesthesia research as evidenced by the contrasting recruitment experiences of centres in Australia and Scotland

At two hospitals in Western Australia, we conducted a prospective, open-label, randomised, controlled trial of 240 patients undergoing tonsillectomy to investigate the effect of chewing a confectionery jelly snake on postoperative nausea and vomiting. The results were published in Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine. Recruitment for this study was completed uneventfully between July 2018 and August 2019.

Risk assessment and optimization strategies to reduce perioperative respiratory adverse events in pediatric anesthesia—Part 1 patient and surgical factors

Pediatric surgery cases are increasing worldwide. Within pediatric anesthesia, perioperative respiratory adverse events are the most common precipitant leading to serious complications.

Primum non nocere (“first do no harm”) with oxygen therapy

Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant

Someday we’ll look back on this, and it will all seem funny. The lung and ventilation special issue 2030 and beyond

Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant

Rebooting the anal sphincter: A retrospective cohort of children with intractable constipation receiving intrasphincteric botox injections

Chronic childhood constipation is a common problem that severely impacts quality of life. Recently, the efficacy of intrasphincteric botulinum toxin (botox) injection in breaking the cycle of constipation has been demonstrated. The current study aims to investigate response rate to treatment, symptom and examination finding associations, and identify associations between patient characteristics and outcome.

The clinical consequences of an antibiotic allergy label are detrimental, impacting health care delivery and patient outcomes. We assessed hospital inpatients with intent to offer free antibiotic allergy labeling assessment within a randomized controlled trial. We sought to determine the feasibility of establishing an adult antibiotic allergy delabeling service in a Western Australian tertiary public hospital.

3-Dimensional Virtual Reality Versus 2-Dimensional Video for Distraction during the Induction of Anesthesia in Children to Reduce Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Preoperative anxiety is common in children. It can contribute to negative experiences with anesthetic induction and may cause adverse physiological and psychological effects. Virtual reality (VR) and electronic tablet devices are 2 audiovisual distraction tools that may help to reduce anxiety and enhance the preoperative experience. This study aimed to compare the use of an immersive 3-dimensional (3D) VR to 2-dimensional (2D) video on anxiety in children during induction of general anesthesia.