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Perioperative Medicine

The vision of the Perioperative Medicine Team is to make discoveries that will improve children’s perioperative care and lead to global practice change.

Inaugural Byron Kakulas medal awarded to Perioperative Medicine Team

A research team dedicated to making anaesthesia and surgery safer and more comfortable for babies and children has been awarded an inaugural Byron Kakulas Medal by WA’s Perron Institute.

Impact of pediatric anesthesia management on cancer outcomes in children—a narrative review

The relationship between anesthetic technique and pediatric oncological outcomes is an emerging field of interest. With significant improvements in childhood cancer survival in recent decades, there is an increased focus on optimizing the quality of survival and reducing the incidence of metastasis and recurrence. The aim of this narrative review article is to investigate and consolidate the current available evidence assessing the immunomodulatory effects of anesthesia in the pediatric oncology population.

Current Practices and Priorities of Anesthetists and Consumers for Infants Undergoing Inguinal Hernia Surgery

There is a paucity of data on the chosen anesthesia management for infant inguinal hernia surgery. We aimed to characterize self-reported anesthetic practice in Australia and New Zealand. We also aimed to identify the outcomes that matter to both anesthetists and to parents and carers.

Awake Supraglottic Airway Placement in Pediatric Patients for Airway Obstruction or Difficult Intubation: Insights From an International Airway Registry (PeDI)

Small case series have described awake supraglottic airway placement in infants with significant airway obstruction and difficult intubations. We conducted this study to determine outcomes when supraglottic airways were placed in awake children enrolled in the international Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry including success of ventilation, success of tracheal intubation, and complications.

Caudal block, high flow oxygen insufflation and dexmedetomidine sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in infants—A prospective evaluation of an alternative anesthesia technique

Inguinal hernia repair is the most common operation in infants, with well recognized anesthetic and perioperative risks. The aim was to investigate if the combination of caudal block, high-flow nasal oxygen insufflation and intravenous dexmedetomidine sedation is suitable for infants undergoing inguinal hernia surgery.

Environmental impact of inhaled medicines: A Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand position statement

Globally, more than 1.2 billion inhalers are purchased for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) annually. In Australia and New Zealand, pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) are the leading delivery device prescribed and pMDI salbutamol can be purchased over the counter in Australia. These inhalers are a major contributor to healthcare related greenhouse gases. 

Net Promoter Score Model for Evaluating Paediatric Medicine Acceptability: Validation and Feasibility Study

Medicine acceptability is crucial for paediatric drug development, yet its assessment remains challenging due to the multifaceted nature of sensory attributes like taste, smell, and mouthfeel. Traditional methods of acceptability evaluation often involve complex questionnaires and lack standardisation, leading to difficulties in a comparative analysis across studies.

Information overload and parental perspectives on information provided to parents/carers of paediatric patients undergoing elective surgical procedures

When parents are expected to play a significant role in the management of their children's health perioperatively, information overload for parents could have particularly detrimental consequences. Our study investigated information communication and overload in 380 parents of children undergoing any elective surgical procedure at our institution. 

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