A new view on old problems in paediatric anaesthesia: premedication, postoperative agitation and dosing.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this review is to discuss recent developments in paediatric anaesthesia, which have evolved in an undulating fashion. RECENT FINDINGS: The role and efficacy of pharmacological premedication is reevaluated. The anxiolytic and sedative properties of midazolam and α 2 -agonists have now been defined more precisely. Both classes of drugs have their unique profile, and there is no reason to condemn one or the other. Midazolam is an excellent anxiolytic, whereas dexmedetomidine is superior in the postoperative period and for sedation during diagnostic imaging.A total intravenous technique with propofol is often considered to be the standard for the prevention of emergence agitation; but alternatives do exist, such as a co-medication with dexmedetomidine or opioids. In clinical reality, a multimodal approach may often be advisable.The theoretical basis for propofol dosing has recently been adapted. In contrast to previous beliefs, the context-sensitive half-life of propofol seems to be quite short beyond the first year of life. SUMMARY: Midazolam and dexmedetomidine are not interchangeable; each compound has its pros and cons. As an anxiolytic drug, midazolam indisputably deserves its place, whereas dexmedetomidine is a better sedative and particularly beneficial in the postoperative period. New data will allow more precise age-adapted dosing of propofol.

[Anaesthesia Induction in Non-fasting Patients - the Example of Pregnant Women and Children]. / Einleitung von nicht nüchternen Patienten am Beispiel von Schwangeren und Kindern.

Aspiration during anesthesia induction is no triviality, but can lead to serious complications and mortality. The classic technique of rapid sequence induction (RSI) is a fundamental form of anesthesia induction in non-fasting patients to prevent pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents.Pregnant women and children pose a special challenge due to their hypoxia risk; the classical RSI concept "induction - apnea - (cricoid pressure -) intubation" can lead to hypoxia and therefore must be modified in favor of a controlled technique with preservation of oxygenation in this patient group. A controlled procedure with continuous oxygenation as far as possible should be used.The preparation of an RSI involves the careful selection of medicines, equipment and monitoring. An important quality criterion of RSI is the atraumatic airway management in deep anesthesia with profound muscle relaxation without resistance (coughing, choking, pressing) of the patient.

Choosing Wisely in pediatric anesthesia: An interpretation from the German Scientific Working Group of Paediatric Anaesthesia (WAKKA).

Inspired by the Choosing Wisely initiative, a group of pediatric anesthesiologists representing the German Working Group on Paediatric Anaesthesia (WAKKA) coined and agreed upon 10 concise positive ("dos") or negative ("don'ts") evidence-based recommendations. (i) In infants and children with robust indications for surgical, interventional, or diagnostic procedures, anesthesia or sedation should not be avoided or delayed due to the potential neurotoxicity associated with the exposure to anesthetics. (ii) In children without relevant preexisting illnesses (ie, ASA status I/II) who are scheduled for elective minor or medium-risk surgical procedures, no routine blood tests should be performed. (iii) Parental presence during the induction of anesthesia should be an option for children whenever possible. (iv) Perioperative fasting should be safe and child-friendly with shorter real fasting times and more liberal postoperative drinking and enteral feeding. (v) Perioperative fluid therapy should be safe and effective with physiologically composed balanced electrolyte solutions to maintain a normal extracellular fluid volume; addition of 1%-2.5% glucose to avoid lipolysis, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia, and colloids as needed to maintain a normal blood volume. (vi) To achieve safe and successful airway management, the locally accepted airway algorithm and continued teaching and training of basic and alternative techniques of ventilation and endotracheal intubation are required. (vii) Ultrasound and imaging systems (eg, transillumination) should be available for achieving central venous access and challenging peripheral venous and arterial access. (viii) Perioperative disturbances of the patient's homeostasis, such as hypotension, hypocapnia, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, and severe anemia, should not be ignored and should be prevented or treated immediately. (ix) Pediatric patients with an elevated perioperative risk, eg, preterm and term neonates, infants, and critically ill children, should be treated at institutions where all caregivers have sufficient expertise and continuous clinical exposure to such patients. (x) A strategy for preventing postoperative vomiting, emergence delirium, and acute pain should be a part of every anesthetic procedure.

Perioperative intravenous fluid therapy in children: guidelines from the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany.

This consensus- based S1 Guideline for perioperative infusion therapy in children is focused on safety and efficacy. The objective is to maintain or re-establish the child's normal physiological state (normovolemia, normal tissue perfusion, normal metabolic function, normal acid- base- electrolyte status). Therefore, the perioperative fasting times should be as short as possible to prevent patient discomfort, dehydration, and ketoacidosis. A physiologically composed balanced isotonic electrolyte solution (BS) with 1-2.5% glucose is recommended for the intraoperative background infusion to maintain normal glucose concentrations and to avoid hyponatremia, hyperchloremia, and lipolysis. Additional BS without glucose can be used in patients with circulatory instability until the desired effect is achieved. The additional use of colloids (albumin, gelatin, hydroxyethyl starch) is recommended to recover normovolemia and to avoid fluid overload when crystalloids alone are not sufficient and blood products are not indicated. Monitoring should be extended in cases with major surgery, and autotransfusion maneuvers should be performed to assess fluid responsiveness.

Regional anaesthesia in neonates, infants and children: an educational review.

Prophylactic analgesia with local anaesthesia is widely used in children and has a good safety record. Performing regional blocks in anaesthetised children is a safe and generally accepted practice. When compared with adults, lower concentrations of local anaesthetics are sufficient in children; the onset of a block occurs more rapidly but the duration is usually shorter. Local anaesthetics have a greater volume of distribution, a lower clearance and a higher free (non-protein-bound) fraction. The recommended maximum dose has to be calculated for every individual. Peripheral blocks provide analgesia restricted to the site of surgery, and some of them have a very long duration of action. Abdominal wall blocks, such as transverse abdominis plane or ilio-inguinal nerve block, should be performed with the aid of ultrasound. Caudal anaesthesia is the single most important technique. Ropivacaine 0.2% or levobupivacaine 0.125 to 0.175% at roughly 1 ml  kg⁻¹ is adequate for most indications. Clonidine and morphine can be used to prolong the duration of analgesia. Ultrasound is not essential for performing caudal blocks, but it may be helpful in case of anomalies suspected at palpation and for teaching purposes. The use of paediatric epidural catheters will probably decline in the future because of the potential complications.

Anaesthesia for the paediatric outpatient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this review was to discuss recent developments in paediatric anaesthesia, which are particularly relevant to the practitioner involved in paediatric outpatient anaesthesia. RECENT FINDINGS: The use of a pharmacological premedication is still a matter of debate. Several publications are focussing on nasal dexmedetomidine; however, its exact place has not yet been defined. Both inhalational and intravenous anaesthesia techniques still have their advocates; for diagnostic imaging, however, propofol is emerging as the agent of choice. The disappearance of codeine has left a breach for an oral opioid and has probably worsened postoperative analgesia following tonsillectomy. In recent years, a large body of evidence for the prevention of postoperative agitation has appeared. Alpha-2-agonists as well as the transition to propofol play an important role. There is now some consensus that for reasons of practicability prophylactic antiemetics should be administered to all and not only to selected high-risk patients. SUMMARY: Perfect organization of the whole process is a prerequisite for successful paediatric outpatient anaesthesia. In addition, the skilled practitioner is able to provide a smooth anaesthetic, minimizing complications, and, finally, he has a clear concept for avoiding postoperative pain, agitation and vomiting.

Venous access in children: state of the art.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this review is to discuss recent developments in vascular access technology and to highlight those that are particularly relevant to the practitioner. RECENT FINDINGS: The need for venous access should always be critically assessed in every child, and it is important to use the limited number of suitable veins wisely and to avoid unnecessary attempts. Near-infrared devices make veins visible, but they do not necessarily increase the success rate of peripheral venous puncture. In contrast, ultrasound is now almost universally used for central venous puncture, and it helped to popularize the supraclavicular puncture of the left anonymous vein. The focus has shifted more toward infectious and especially thrombotic complications. SUMMARY: Despite the development of new technical devices, successful venous puncture remains heavily dependent on the skills of the operator.

Practical pediatric regional anesthesia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss the developments in pediatric regional anesthesia which are currently under discussion and relevant to the practitioner. RECENT FINDINGS: The ongoing interest in regional anesthesia for pain relief is justified by its inclusion in current pain guidelines as well as by a good safety record in the recent epidemiological studies. Abdominal wall blocks, for example, transversus abdominis plane block, are emergent techniques and widely used; however, there are still unanswered questions, for example, the duration of analgesia. Caudal block still remains the single most important technique. According to the recent meta-analyses, the duration of analgesia can be prolonged by approximately 4 h by the addition of clonidine to the local anesthetics. On the other hand, there is some consensus emerging that ketamine should probably be abandoned as an additive to local anesthetics. Ultrasound is increasingly being used for a variety of regional anesthetics. For caudal blocks, it probably should be used mainly for teaching purposes or in cases of anatomical variants. The visible difference between the anatomical and the clinical spread revives the discussion on the exact site of action of an epidural block. SUMMARY: Pediatric regional anesthesia is still a developing field, both clinically and scientifically.

[Regional anaesthesia in children--caudal anaesthesia and trunk blocks]. / Kinderanästhesie--Regionalanästhesie bei Kindern: Kaudalanästhesie und Bauchwandblockaden.

In children, elective surgery is often performed in the trunk region. Regional anaesthetic techniques allow good analgesia with reduced opioid consumption, and enhance rapid discharge of the small patients. This review focuses on indication, anatomic structures, puncture techniques and potential complications of caudal anaesthesia, transversus abdominis plane block, ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve block and rectus sheath block.

Caudal blocks.

Caudal anesthesia is the single most important pediatric regional anesthetic technique. The technique is relatively easy to learn (1), has a remarkable safety record (2), and can be used for a large variety of procedures. The technique has been reviewed in the English (3) and French (4) literature, as well as in German guidelines (5) and in pediatric anesthesia textbooks (6).

Pro con debate: the use of regional vs systemic analgesia for neonatal surgery.

In recent years the inclusion of regional techniques to pediatric anesthesia has transformed practice. Simple procedures such as caudal anesthesia with local anaesthetics can reduce the amounts of general anesthesia required and provide complete analgesia in the postoperative period while avoiding large amounts of opioid analgesia with potential side effects that can impair recovery. However, the application of central blocks (epidural and spinal local anesthesia) via catheters in the younger infant, neonate and even preterm neonate remains more controversial. The potential for such invasive maneuvers themselves to augment risk, can be argued to outweigh the benefits, others would argue that epidural analgesia can reduce the need for postoperative ventilation and that this not only facilitates surgery when intensive care facilities are limited, but also reduces cost in terms of PICU stay and recovery profile. Currently, opinions are divided and strongly held with some major units adopting this approach widely and others maintaining a more conservative stance to anesthesia for major neonatal surgery. In this pro-con debate the evidence base is examined, supplemented with expert opinion to try to provide a balanced overall view.

European consensus statement for intraoperative fluid therapy in children.

The intraoperative infusion of isotonic solutions with 1-2.5% glucose in children is considered well established use in Europe and other countries. Unfortunately, a European marketing authorisation of such a solution is currently missing and as a consequence paediatric anaesthetists tend to use suboptimal intravenous fluid strategies that may lead to serious morbidity and even mortality because of iatrogenic hyponatraemia, hyperglycaemia or medical errors. To address this issue, the German Scientific Working Group for Paediatric Anaesthesia suggests a European consensus statement on the composition of an appropriate intraoperative solution for infusion in children, which was discussed during a working session at the 2nd Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Anaesthesiology in Berlin in September 2010. As a result, it was recommended that an intraoperative fluid should have an osmolarity close to the physiologic range in children in order to avoid hyponatraemia, an addition of 1-2.5% instead of 5% glucose in order to avoid hypoglycaemia, lipolysis or hyperglycaemia and should also include metabolic anions (i.e. acetate, lactate or malate) as bicarbonate precursors to prevent hyperchloraemic acidosis. Thus, the underlying intention of this consensus statement is to facilitate the granting of a European marketing authorisation for such a solution with the ultimate goal of improving the safety and effectiveness of intraoperative fluid therapy in children.

[Generous use of opioids is advantageous for infants and children--Contra]. / Grosszügiger Einsatz von Opioiden bei Säuglingen und Kleinkindern--Contra.

Opioids are important as medication against postoperative pain in infants and children too. However, intraoperatively given opioids increase the analgesic demand in the postoperative period without an improvement of the postoperative pain. Nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression and gastroparesis develop. The apparent benefit of a stable anaesthetic has to be bought with relevant drawbacks. Modern concepts heavily rely on local anaesthetics and nonsteroidals for postoperative analgesia.

Ear surgery in infants under one year of age: its risks and implications for cochlear implant surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal hearing screening programs allow early identification of infants with congenital severe hearing impairment. Increasing evidence suggests that early cochlear implantation (CI) facilitates auditory rehabilitation and bilateral implantation exceeds the benefit of unilateral CI fitting. Elective surgery before the age of 12 months has, therefore, become increasingly popular. A team approach between the surgeon and the anesthesia team is required to guarantee the safety for the patient. The implanting surgeon should also be aware of the special constraints relevant at this age group. STUDY DESIGN: Our personal experience at a tertiary children's hospital and a review of the German and English literature published on this subject between 1980 and 2007. SETTING: Tertiary referral otology and skull base center with affiliated children's hospital. PATIENTS: Patients younger than 1 year of age undergoing CI surgeries were analyzed concerning surgical techniques, and anesthesiological aspects of elective surgeries in small infants were evaluated. INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: The main focus was on CI surgeries in very young infants. Risk factors involving the surgical planning, intervention, and perioperative anesthesia care were evaluated. RESULTS: The age of the patient and the pediatric experience of the anesthesiologist, but not the duration of the surgery, are relevant risk factors. This review article is intended to highlight the surgical and anesthesiological considerations when performing CI surgery in very young infants and anticipates familiarizing the implanting surgeon with important aspects of hemostasis, pharmacokinetics, and cardiopulmonary reserves in small pediatric patients. CONCLUSION: Elective ear surgery in infants below 1 year of age should be performed in institutions where a continuous experience with this type of patient exists and all the facilities of pediatric perioperative anesthesia care are readily available.

Incidence of severe critical events in paediatric anaesthesia (APRICOT): a prospective multicentre observational study in 261 hospitals in Europe.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the incidence of severe critical events in children undergoing general anaesthesia in Europe. We aimed to identify the incidence, nature, and outcome of severe critical events in children undergoing anaesthesia, and the associated potential risk factors. METHODS: The APRICOT study was a prospective observational multicentre cohort study of children from birth to 15 years of age undergoing elective or urgent anaesthesia for diagnostic or surgical procedures. Children were eligible for inclusion during a 2-week period determined prospectively by each centre. There were 261 participating centres across 33 European countries. The primary endpoint was the occurence of perioperative severe critical events requiring immediate intervention. A severe critical event was defined as the occurrence of respiratory, cardiac, allergic, or neurological complications requiring immediate intervention and that led (or could have led) to major disability or death. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01878760. FINDINGS: Between April 1, 2014, and Jan 31, 2015, 31 127 anaesthetic procedures in 30 874 children with a mean age of 6·35 years (SD 4·50) were included. The incidence of perioperative severe critical events was 5·2% (95% CI 5·0-5·5) with an incidence of respiratory critical events of 3·1% (2·9-3·3). Cardiovascular instability occurred in 1·9% (1·7-2·1), with an immediate poor outcome in 5·4% (3·7-7·5) of these cases. The all-cause 30-day in-hospital mortality rate was 10 in 10 000. This was independent of type of anaesthesia. Age (relative risk 0·88, 95% CI 0·86-0·90; p<0·0001), medical history, and physical condition (1·60, 1·40-1·82; p<0·0001) were the major risk factors for a serious critical event. Multivariate analysis revealed evidence for the beneficial effect of years of experience of the most senior anaesthesia team member (0·99, 0·981-0·997; p<0·0048 for respiratory critical events, and 0·98, 0·97-0·99; p=0·0039 for cardiovascular critical events), rather than the type of health institution or providers. INTERPRETATION: This study highlights a relatively high rate of severe critical events during the anaesthesia management of children for surgical or diagnostic procedures in Europe, and a large variability in the practice of paediatric anaesthesia. These findings are substantial enough to warrant attention from national, regional, and specialist societies to target education of anaesthesiologists and their teams and implement strategies for quality improvement in paediatric anaesthesia. FUNDING: European Society of Anaesthesiology.