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Due to the high prevalence of asthma and general airway reactivity, anesthesiologists frequently encounter children with asthma or asthma-like symptoms. This review focuses on the epidemiology, the underlying pathophysiology, and perioperative management of children with airway reactivity, including controlled and uncontrolled asthma.
Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant
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.
Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg AM FAHMS MD, PhD, DEAA, FANZA Chair of Paediatric anaesthesia, University of Western Australia; Consultant
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.
Tracheostomy tubes act as foreign bodies, predisposing the surrounding airway to respiratory infections. Initial treatment for infections is topical - nebulized tobramycin - although guidelines for standardized treatment are lacking.
COVID-19 forced healthcare systems to make unprecedented changes in clinical care processes. The authors hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted timely access to care, perioperative processes, and clinical outcomes for pediatric patients undergoing primary appendectomy.
Lung-protective ventilation (LPV) has been adopted in the theater environment as a strategy to reduce pulmonary complications under anesthesia. Postoperative pulmonary complications are not infrequent and may have significant implications on the postoperative length of stay as well as the morbidity and mortality of pediatric patients.
Perioperative respiratory adverse events pose a significant risk in pediatric anesthesia, and identifying these risks is vital. Traditionally, this is assessed using history and examination. However, the perioperative risk is multifactorial, and children with complex medical backgrounds such as chronic lung disease or obesity may benefit from additional objective preoperative pulmonary function tests.
Congratulations to trailblazing Western Australian paediatric anaesthetist and researcher Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, who has been awarded a prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for globally influential research that has made surgery and recovery safer for babies and children.