Search

Propofol, Anesthesia, and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Patients with Pediatric Leukemia: Are We Missing the Forest for the Trees?

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

Airway management in the paediatric difficult intubation registry: a propensity score matched analysis of outcomes over time

The Paediatric Difficult Intubation Collaborative identified multiple attempts and persistence with direct laryngoscopy as risk factors for complications in children with difficult tracheal intubations and subsequently engaged in initiatives to reduce repeated attempts and persistence with direct laryngoscopy in children. We hypothesised these efforts would lead to fewer attempts, fewer direct laryngoscopy attempts and decrease complications.

Flexible bronchoscopy insufflated and high-flow nasal oxygen pilot trial (BUFFALO protocol pilot trial)

Hypoxaemia occurs in approximately 30% of children during anaesthesia for flexible bronchoscopy. High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) can prolong safe apnoea time and be used in children with abnormal airways. During flexible bronchoscopy, there is limited evidence if HFNO confers advantages over current standard practice in avoiding hypoxaemia. The aim is to investigate feasibility of HFNO use during anaesthesia for flexible bronchoscopy to reduce frequency of rescue oxygenation and hypoxaemia. 

High-flow nasal oxygen for children's airway surgery to reduce hypoxaemic events: a randomised controlled trial

Tubeless upper airway surgery in children is a complex procedure in which surgeons and anaesthetists share the same operating field. These procedures are often interrupted for rescue oxygen therapy. 

Preoperative preparation of children with upper respiratory tract infection: a focussed narrative review

This review summarises the current evidence for the perioperative preparation in children with upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), including COVID-19 infection. URTI, including COVID-19 infection, are common and frequent in children who present for elective surgery. Children with URTI are at increased risk of perioperative respiratory adverse events.

Beta Agonists for Prevention of Respiratory Adverse Events in Children Undergoing Adenotonsillectomy: Long-Acting, Short Acting, or Not Acting

Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical interventions in children, and while generally safe, it is associated with a risk of significant adverse events. In this issue, Kim et al report a prospective randomized controlled study comparing preoperative use of a tulobuterol (longacting beta agonist) dermal patch with placebo on the incidence of perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs) in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.

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

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

A review of pediatric fasting guidelines and strategies to help children manage preoperative fasting

Fasting for surgery is a routine step in the preoperative preparation for surgery. There have however been increasing concerns with regard to the high incidence of prolonged fasting in children, and the subsequent psycho-social distress and physiological consequences that this poses.

Efficacy of a hybrid technique of simultaneous videolaryngoscopy with flexible bronchoscopy in children with difficult direct laryngoscopy in the Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry

Children with difficult tracheal intubation are at increased risk of severe complications, including hypoxaemia and cardiac arrest. Increasing experience with the simultaneous use of videolaryngoscopy and flexible bronchoscopy (hybrid) in adults led us to hypothesise that this hybrid technique could be used safely and effectively in children under general anaesthesia.

Feasibility of upper airway collapsibility measurements in anesthetized children

Patients with a propensity for upper airway obstruction, including those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are vulnerable in the perioperative period. OSA is an increasingly common disorder in children and, when present, is associated with an increased risk of perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAE),1 morbidity, and mortality. Therefore, identifying at-risk patients is vital to provide tailored perioperative anesthetic management.