Dexmedetomidine and perioperative analgesia in children.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an anaesthetic agent that mimics natural deep sleep and produces minimal cardiorespiratory depression. As such, it is a very valuable option in the management of such a challenging population as paediatric patients. The main objective of this mini review was to evaluate the role of DEX as a perioperative analgesic in children receiving anaesthesia. We searched Google, Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library for articles published between 2010 and 2021, and reviewed various of aspects of DEX, such as pharmacology, effectiveness, safety, and the most recent evidence on its clinical use as an analgesic in paediatric anaesthesia. We also include a cost estimate of perioperative analgesia with DEX.

Dexmedetomidine & perioperative analgesia in children. / Dexmedetomidina & analgesia perioperatoria en niños.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an anaesthetic agent that mimics natural deep sleep and produces minimal cardiorespiratory depression. As such, it is a very valuable option in the management of such a challenging population as paediatric patients. The main objective of this mini review was to evaluate the role of DEX as a perioperative analgesic in children receiving anaesthesia. We searched Google, Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library for articles published between 2010 and 2021, and reviewed various of aspects of DEX, such as pharmacology, effectiveness, safety, and the most recent evidence on its clinical use as an analgesic in paediatric anaesthesia. We also include a cost estimate of perioperative analgesia with DEX.

Strategies of analgesic treatment after cesarean delivery. Current state and new alternatives. / Estrategias de tratamiento analgésico tras cesárea. Estado actual y nuevas alternativas.

The number of caesarean sections performed worldwide is increasing, and with it, the need for the optimal analgesia strategies. Deficient postoperative analgesia increases the need for opioids, delays recovery, and is associated with chronic pain and postpartum depression. It is essential to find good postoperative pain control strategies that facilitate early mobility, early recovery, and early hospital discharge with minimal side effects on the mother and infant. Multimodal analgesia based on neuroaxial anaesthesia with morphine in combination with non-opioids such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol, gives the best post-caesarean analgesia outcome, and allows anaesthesiologists to reserve opioids, corticoids, gabapentin, magnesium or ketamine for situations where neuroaxial anaesthesia cannot be performed, for high-risk patients, or when pain is difficult to control. Peripheral nerve block techniques can also be added, such as transverse abdominis plane block, erector spinae block, or continuous wound infiltration.

«Safety First¼: Design of an anesthetic checklist in pediatrics. / «Safety First¼: diseño de un checklist anestésico en pediatría.

INTRODUCTION: Quality improvement in health care entails the design of reliable processes which prevent and mitigate medical errors. Checklists are cognitive tools which reduce such errors. The primary objective of this study was to design an anesthetic checklist in Pediatrics to be implemented in our hospital. METHODS: Delphi technique was used, with 3 rounds of questionnaire surveys: a generic questionnaire to obtain dimensions and items; and 2 specific ones to score individual items and obtain an overall rating for the checklist (median), and to measure the level of consensus (relative interquartile range) and internal reliability (Wilcoxon signed-rank test). RESULTS: Final version of the checklist obtained a high overall score (Med 9) with a very high consensus (RIR 5%). Internal consensus was reached on all items (RIR ≤ 30%). Wilcoxon signed-rank test found no statistically significant differences, demonstrating reliability or consistency of responses between consecutive rounds. CONCLUSION: The Anesthetic checklist in Pediatrics has been methodically designed for implementation and use in our hospital.

Effectiveness and safety of continuous ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block versus epidural analgesia after total knee arthroplasty. / Eficacia y seguridad del bloqueo femoral continuo guiado con ecografía frente a la analgesia epidural en el postoperatorio de artroplastia total de rodilla.

OBJECTIVES: Total knee arthroplasty is associated with severe postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to compare continuous ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block with continuous epidural analgesia, both with low concentrations of local anaesthetic after total knee arthroplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, randomised, unblinded study of 60 patients undergoing total knee replacement, randomised into two groups. A total of 30 patients received continuous epidural block, while the other 30 received continuous ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block, as well as using 0.125% levobupivacaine infusion in both groups. Differences in pain control, undesirable effects, and complications between the two techniques were assessed, as well as the need for opioid rescue and the level of satisfaction with the treatment received during the first 48hours after surgery. RESULTS: No differences were found in demographic and surgical variables. The quality of analgesia was similar in both groups, although in the first six hours after surgery, patients in the epidural group had less pain both at rest and with movement (P=.007 and P=.011). This difference was not observed at 24hours (P=.084 and P=.942). Pain control at rest in the femoral block group was better at 48hours after surgery than in the epidural group (P=.009). The mean consumption of morphine and level of satisfaction were similar. Epidural analgesia showed the highest rate of side effects (P=.003). CONCLUSIONS: Continuous ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block provides analgesia and morphine consumption similar to epidural analgesia, with the same level of satisfaction, but with a lower rate of side effects after total knee arthroplasty.

[Intraoperative fluid therapy in infants with congestive heart failure due to intracranial pial arteriovenous fistula]. / Fluidoterapia intraoperatoria en lactante con insuficiencia cardiaca congestiva por fístula arteriovenosa pial intracraneal.

Pial arteriovenous fistula is a rare intracranial congenital malformation (0.1-1: 100,000). It has a high blood flow between one or more pial arteries and drains into the venous circulation. It is usually diagnosed during the childhood by triggering an intracranial hypertension and/or congestive heart failure due to left-right systemic shunt. It is a rare malformation with a complex pathophysiology. The perioperative anaesthetic management is not well established. We present a 6-month-old infant diagnosed with pial arteriovenous fistula with hypertension and congestive heart failure due to left-right shunt. He required a craniotomy and clipping of vascular malformation. Anaesthetic considerations in patients with this condition are a great challenge. It must be performed by multidisciplinary teams with experience in paediatrics. The maintenance of blood volume during the intraoperative course is very important. Excessive fluid therapy can precipitate a congestive heart failure or intracranial hypertension, and a lower fluid therapy may cause a tissue hypoxia due to the bleeding.

[Central blockades in Pediatrics: A review of current literature]. / Bloqueos centrales en Pediatría: una revisión de la literatura actual.

Pediatric neuraxial anesthesia is an effective tool that can be used as a supplement or alternative to general anesthesia. However, there have always been doubts about its usefulness and risk-benefit ratio. The purpose of this review is to describe the current role of central blockades in pediatric patients, upgrade practical and safety aspects, and review the latest technological advances applied to this procedure.

[Prevalence of pain in Andalusian public hospitals]. / Estudio epidemiológico del dolor en los hospitales públicos andaluces.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of pain in medical and surgical patients admitted to reference hospitals in Andalusia, as well as their features and the most population groups most affected. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicenter epidemiological study was conducted simultaneously on the population admitted to 5 hospitals. Using a structured questionnaire the demographics, hospital area, presence of pain at the time of the interview, and pre- and post-variables related to the intensity of pain and its treatment at 24h were investigated. All patients over 18 years old were included, except those patients with difficulty in understanding the questionnaire, and psychiatric and obstetric patients. Pain intensity was assessed by simple verbal scale. RESULTS: Of the 1,236 patients included, 54.2% were male, with 51.1% of patients aged 65 years, and 69.17% were admitted to medical areas. Pain was observed in 52.9% of patients admitted to the surgical area compared to 29.4% in the medical area. Of the 19.4% who reported having had pain in the last 24h prior to the questionnaire, 57.7% of them were surgical patients and 32% were medical, P<.005), and of the 42.2% who had pain at the time of study, 52.7% were female. The incidence of pain on movement was higher than that observed at rest. The mean resting pain was 1.8 and 1.4 for the surgical and medical patients, respectively (P<.01). The mean pain on movement was 2.2 and 1.6 for the surgical and medical patients, respectively (P<.01). More than one quarter (25.8%) of surgical patients and 16.5% of medical patients had difficulty sleeping (P<.005). Some 12.8% of all patients had no analgesic regimen, and 66.2% and 85.6% of surgical and medical patients, respectively, did not request analgesics (P<.005). The main drugs were prescribed paracetamol analgesic and metamizole, and in 54.4% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the presence of pain in patients admitted to our study population is high and it is essential to encourage an improvement in the pain management of both acute and chronic pain processes.

[Hemostasis-altering drugs and regional anesthetic techniques: safety guidelines]. / Fármacos que alteran la hemostasia y técnicas regionales anestésicas y analgésicas: recomendaciones de seguridad.

New developments--in the form of emerging clinical settings for regional anesthesia as well as problems arising with the concomitant use of regional techniques and hemostasis-altering drugs--require the ongoing revision of safety guidelines. The annual meeting of ESRA held in Spain in 2003 saw the discussion and clarification of a variety of issues of current concern, including conclusions reached on the estimated risk of spinal hematoma when published safety guidelines are followed or not, precautions to take in epidural anesthesia during cardiac surgery, guidelines for using fondaparinux for thromboprophylaxis, the circumstances under which neuroaxial techniques can be used safely in patients under the effects of platelet aggregation inhibitors such as thienopyridine, and the application of epidural anesthesia in parturients with eclampsia who have received platelet aggregation inhibitors. Conclusions drawn at the meeting enrich and clarify certain important safety issues related to local and regional anesthesia in patients receiving antiplatelet drugs and/or anticoagulants.