A Narrative Review of Oxygenation During Pediatric Intubation and Airway Procedures.

Hypoxemia is a common complication in the pediatric operating room during endotracheal intubation and airway procedures and is a precursor to serious adverse events. Small children and infants are at greater risk of hypoxemia due to their high metabolic requirements and propensity to alveolar collapse during general anesthesia. To improve the care and safety of this vulnerable population, continued efforts must be directed to mitigate hypoxemia and the risk of subsequent serious adverse events. Apneic oxygenation has been shown to significantly prolong the safe apnea time until desaturation in infants, children, and adults and may reduce the incidence of desaturation during emergency intubation of critically ill patients. Successful apneic oxygenation depends on adequate preoxygenation, patent upper and lower airways, and a source of continuous oxygen delivery. Humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems have been shown to provide excellent conditions for effective apneic oxygenation in adults and children and have the added benefit of providing some carbon dioxide clearance in adults; although, this latter benefit has not been shown in children. Humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems may also be useful during spontaneous ventilation for airway procedures in children by minimizing room air entrainment and maintaining adequate oxygenation allowing for a deeper anesthetic. The use of apneic oxygenation and humidified, high-flow nasal oxygenation systems in the pediatric operating room reduces the incidence of hypoxemia and may be effective in decreasing related complications.

Bringing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery to the NICU: An Implementation Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines are bundled evidence-informed recommendations implemented to improve quality and safety of perioperative care. This study aims to determine feasibility of NICU implementation of an ERAS Guideline for Intestinal Resection, describing clinical outcomes and adherence to recommendations following light-touch implementation. METHODS: Infants <28 days undergoing laparotomy for intestinal resection in a closed-NICU were prospectively enrolled. Exclusion criteria included prematurity (<32wks), instability, or major comorbidity. Clinical data reflecting 13 ERAS recommendations were collected through chart review. Descriptive statistics are presented as median [interquartile range]. Thirty-day post-discharge outcomes include NICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, surgical site infection (SSI), re-intubation, readmission, reoperation, and mortality. Adherence was calculated as the percentage of patients eligible for each recommendation whose care was adherent. RESULTS: Ten infant-parent dyads were enrolled (five females; GA 37 weeks [35, 38.8]; birthweight 2.97 kg [2.02, 3.69]). Surgical diagnoses included intestinal atresia/web (n = 6), anorectal malformation (n = 3), and segmental volvulus (n = 1). NICU LOS was 16 days [11, 21], hospital LOS 20 days [18, 30], and 2.5 ventilator days/patient [2, 3]. There was reduced opioid use, no SSIs, one re-intubation, three readmissions, three reoperations, and no mortalities. Adherence to ERAS recommendations ranged 0-100 % with a pooled adherence rate of 73 %. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to introduce ERAS to the NICU with acceptable overall adherence. Assessing adherence was challenging for some measures. There were promising early clinical findings including a reduction in opioid use. This implementation trial will inform development of an ERAS protocol for surgical NICUs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV (Cohort Study).

Developing implementation strategies to adopt Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Strong implementation strategies are critical to the success of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS®) guidelines, though little documentation exists on effective strategies, especially in complex clinical situations and unfamiliar contexts. This study outlines the process taken to adopt a novel neonatal ERAS® guideline. METHODS: The implementation strategy was approached in a multi-pronged, concurrent but asynchronous fashion. Between September 2019 and January 2020, healthcare providers from various disciplines and different specialties as well as parents participated in the strategy. Multidisciplinary teams were created to consider existing literature and local contexts including potential facilitators and/or barriers. Task forces worked collaboratively to develop new care pathways. An audit system was developed to record outcomes and elicit feedback for revision. RESULTS: 32 healthcare providers representing 9 disciplines and 5 specialties as well as 8 parents participated. Care pathways and resources were created. Elements recommended for a successful implementation strategy included identification of champions, multidisciplinary stakeholder involvement, consideration of local contexts and insights, patient/family engagement, education, and creation of an audit system. CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary and structured process following principles of implementation science was used to develop an effective implementation strategy for initiating ERAS® guidelines.

Epidural analgesia? A prospective analysis of perioperative coagulation in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is beneficial in peritoneal carcinomatosis. Epidurals provide excellent pain relief for laparotomies. Coagulopathy (platelet count <100 × 109/L, INR>1.5 or PTT >45) occurs with CRS and HIPEC, increasing risk for bleeding complications with epidurals. This prospective study characterizes clot kinetics with thromboelastography (TEG) to determine suitability for epidural analgesia. METHODS: After Research Ethics approval, thirty consented patients had blood collected. Primary data collected included TEG and conventional coagulation measures (platelets, PTT and INR). Secondary data collected included demographics, disease, surgical, intraoperative factors and complications from epidural placement. RESULTS: Of 30 patients analyzed, two had incomplete data. Four developed abnormal coagulation between the second and fifth post-operative day. For all patients, TEG values remained normal. Postoperative INR was elevated until day 3 (all INR < 1.5). 17 patients received epidural analgesia, 3 demonstrated abnormal conventional coagulopathic criteria despite normal TEG. CONCLUSIONS: In this study CRS and HIPEC do not contribute to the conventional definition of clinical coagulopathy. Clot kinetics indicate that epidural catheters may be recommended for post-operative analgesia.

Postexertional supraventricular tachycardia in children with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a severe arrhythmia associated with sudden death in the young. It is caused by defective calcium handling in ventricular myocytes. The association of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) with CPVT is described in the literature, occurring in the lead-up to ventricular tachycardia during exercise testing. We describe three cases of SVT that were initiated in the recovery period of exercise testing in children with CPVT.