Clinical Evaluation of Oral Midazolam Containing Cyclodextrin in Pediatric Magnetic Resonance: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Reducing a child's level of anxiety before magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures allows for better behavioral outcomes. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate anxiolytic efficacy of Midazolam/γ-cyclodextrin oral formulation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 100 medical charts of children who, between 1 February and 31 July 2022, underwent MRI under general anesthesia with or without premedication with midazolam/γ-cyclodextrin. Primary outcome was comparison of behavior to facemask positioning, while secondary endpoints were degree of drugs acceptance, anxiolytic effect evaluation, child's behavior on separation, and sevoflurane need. RESULTS: Facemask positioning was accepted by 58% of the midazolam/γ-cyclodextrin group compared to 22% of children in the control group. The rate of acceptance was >90%. At the moment of separation from parent, none of the premedicated children needed to be restrained compared to 18% in the control group. A lower percentage of sevoflurane was needed for eye-closure at induction of anesthesia and for anesthesia maintenance. At emergence from anesthesia, 46% of children in the premedicated group compared to 66% of children in the control group showed transient agitation. CONCLUSIONS: Midazolam/γ-cyclodextrin showed a good profile of acceptance, satisfactory anxiolytic properties, and reduced need for anesthetics when administered to children before MRI under general anesthesia.

State of the Art in Pediatric Anesthesia: A Narrative Review about the Use of Preoperative Time.

This review delves into the challenge of pediatric anesthesia, underscoring the necessity for tailored perioperative approaches due to children's distinctive anatomical and physiological characteristics. Because of the vulnerability of pediatric patients to critical incidents during anesthesia, provider skills are of primary importance. Yet, almost equal importance must be granted to the adoption of a careful preanesthetic mindset toward patients and their families that recognizes the interwoven relationship between children and parents. In this paper, the preoperative evaluation process is thoroughly examined, from the first interaction with the child to the operating day. This evaluation process includes a detailed exploration of the medical history of the patient, physical examination, optimization of preoperative therapy, and adherence to updated fasting management guidelines. This process extends to considering pharmacological or drug-free premedication, focusing on the importance of preanesthesia re-evaluation. Structural resources play a critical role in pediatric anesthesia; components of this role include emphasizing the creation of child-friendly environments and ensuring appropriate support facilities. The results of this paper support the need for standardized protocols and guidelines and encourage the centralization of practices to enhance clinical efficacy.

Pediatric robotic surgery: issues in management-expert consensus from the Italian Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SARNePI) and the Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery (SICP).

BACKGROUND: Pediatric robotic-assisted surgeries have increased in recent years; however, guidance documents are still lacking. This study aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations, or best practice statements when evidence is lacking or inadequate, to assist surgical teams internationally. METHODS: A joint consensus taskforce of anesthesiologists and surgeons from the Italian Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SARNePI) and the Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery (SICP) have identified critical areas and reviewed the available evidence. The taskforce comprised 21 experts representing the fields of anesthesia (n = 11) and surgery (n = 10) from clinical centers performing pediatric robotic surgery in the Italian cities of Ancona, Bologna, Milan, Naples, Padua, Pavia, Perugia, Rome, Siena, and Verona. Between December 2020 and September 2021, three meetings, two Delphi rounds, and a final consensus conference took place. RESULTS: During the first planning meeting, the panel agreed on the specific objectives, the definitions to apply, and precise methodology. The project was structured into three subtopics: (i) preoperative patient assessment and preparation; (ii) intraoperative management (surgical and anesthesiologic); and (iii) postoperative procedures. Within these phases, the panel agreed to address a total of 18 relevant areas, which spanned preoperative patient assessment and patient selection, anesthesiology, critical care medicine, respiratory care, prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and pain management. CONCLUSION: Collaboration among surgeons and anesthesiologists will be increasingly important for achieving safe and effective RAS procedures. These recommendations will provide a review for those who already have relevant experience and should be particularly useful for those starting a new program.

Children and neonates anesthesia in magnetic resonance environment in Italy: an active call survey.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric anesthesia care in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a challenge for clinicians. The recent debate about the role of anesthetic agent on neural development, encouraged an evaluation of their actual activity in this environment. In this active call survey, the authors sought to delineate the Italian situation regarding national centers, staff involved, monitoring tools available and sedation techniques. METHODS: A complete sample of all national centers performing almost a pediatric discharge in the 2014 was obtained from Health Ministry registers. All Institutions were contacted for a prospective phone investigation and a three-section survey was fill out with the Physician in charge. A descriptive and exploratory analyzes about the organization setting of the Centers were performed. RESULTS: Among 876 Institution screened, only 106 (37%) met minimal criteria for inclusion. Children are managed by anesthesiologists in the 95% of cases, while neonates in the 54%. A dedicated nurse is present in 74% of centers. While a pulse oximetry is present in 100% of centers, the rate of prevalence of other monitoring is lower. A specific MRI-compatible ventilator is available in the 95% of Centers, but many tools are not equally homogenously distributed. Pharmacological approach is preferred in pediatric age (98%), but its use for newborns is reduced to 43%. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant heterogeneity in the daily clinical practice of sedation in MRI. Our results could be a starting point to evaluate the further evolution of approach to children and neonates in magnetic resonance setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04775641.

The scalp block for postoperative pain control in craniosynostosis surgery: a case control study.

PURPOSE: Postoperative analgesia after corrective surgery of pediatric craniosynostosis is crucial in terms of short- and long-term outcomes. The objective of this observational study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an analgesic technique based on the scalp block versus traditional pharmacological approach. METHODS: Thirteen patients, aged between 3 months and 2 years, undergoing surgical correction of craniosynostosis, received scalp nerve block before awakening (scalp block group). This group of patients was compared to a second group of 13 patients, retrieved from our database, treated with the traditional pharmacological approach (control group). Pain scores, need of rescue therapy, resumption of oral nutrition, degree of parent satisfaction at discharge, and length of stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and in the hospital were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Objective Pain Score values were significantly lower in patients treated with scalp block at 30 min and at 8 h after extubation. The number of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of pain in PICU was significantly higher in Control group. Children in Scalp block group started earlier oral feeding than in Control group, both for clear fluids and milk. Length of stay in PICU was longer in Scalp block group than in Control group, though the difference between the mean data in the two groups is about 3 . This difference does not seem significant from a clinical standpoint, since it seems more related to logistic issues (e.g., availability of bed in the Pediatric Neurosurgery Unit, presence of a parent), rather than clinical problems contraindicating the discharge from PICU. Indeed, the overall hospital length of stay was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Scalp nerve block was effective for immediate postoperative pain control in patients younger than 2 years who underwent cranioplasty for craniosynostosis. The best pain control compared to conventional therapy allowed to limit the need for rescue analgesics in PICU and an earlier recovery time. ClinicalTrials.gov Identification: NCT04133467.

Phenylephrine eye drops in pediatric patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery: incidence, presentation, and management of complications during general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Phenylephrine eye drops are widely used as mydriatic agent to reach the posterior segment of the eye. In literature, many reports suggest a systemic absorption of this agent as a source of severe adverse drug reactions. Hence, we reviewed our experience with topical phenylephrine in ophthalmic surgery. METHODS: In May 2006, following US guidelines publication, a standard operating procedure was issued in our operating rooms to standardize the use of phenylephrine eye drops in our practice. Two years later, after the occurrence of a cluster of serious adverse drug reactions in infants undergoing surgery, a review of phenylephrine safety and systemic complications incidence was performed. RESULTS: We observed 451 pediatric patients, and 187 met the inclusions criteria: Among them, 4 experienced hemodynamic complications due to phenylephrine eye drops. The incidence of major complications was 2.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Two different patterns of side effects occurred. The first one was a cardiovascular derangement with severe hypertension and heart rate alterations; the other one involved exclusively pulmonary circuit causing early edema. These clinical manifestations, their duration, and treatment responses are all explainable by alfa1-adrenergic action of phenylephrine. This hypothetic pathogenesis has been confirmed also by the usefulness of direct vasodilators (anesthetic agents) and by the negative outcome occurred in the past with the use of beta-blockers.

Experience of remifentanil in extremely low-birth-weight babies undergoing laparotomy.

Premature babies experience pain and require adequate analgesia for any painful procedure. Fentanyl and morphine resulted in safe and effective anesthesia in the past; however, their pharmacokinetics may be impaired in preterm babies with multiorgan failure. Remifentanil, despite the absence of available pharmacokinetic data in preterm infants and few reports in newborns, demonstrated its advantages in children undergoing either major surgery or minor painful procedures and has been shown to be useful even in neonates, because its elimination is independent of organ function. We report two cases of babies born at 26 weeks' and 27 weeks' gestation, weighing 580 g and 400 g, respectively, undergoing laparotomy for necrotizing enterocolitis. Both received midazolam bolus and remifentanil infusion at high doses. This technique seems to be an advantageous alternative even in extremely low-birth-weight prematures. Furthermore, it becomes a technique of choice in these babies because the available ventilators are often not equipped with halogenated vaporizers. Particularly in intensive care, where there are no scavenger systems, it could allow to operate without moving out the preterm babies and avoiding stress and hypothermia.

Capnography and the bispectral index-their role in pediatric sedation: a brief review.

Sedation in children is increasingly emerging as a minimally invasive technique that may be associated with local anaesthesia or diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which do not necessarily require general anaesthesia. Standard monitoring requirements are not sufficient to ensure an effective control of pulmonary ventilation and deep sedation. Capnography in pediatric sedation assesses the effect of different drugs on the occurrence of respiratory failure and records early indicators of respiratory impairment. The Bispectral index (BIS) allows the reduction of dose requirements of anaesthetic drugs, the reduction in the time to extubation and eye opening, and the reduction in the time to discharge. In the field of pediatric sedation, capnography should be recommended to prevent respiratory complications, particularly in spontaneous ventilation. The use of the BIS index, however, needs further investigation due to a lack of evidence, especially in infants. In this paper, we will investigate the role of capnography and the BIS index in improving monitoring standards in pediatric sedation.

Remifentanil in neonatal intensive care and anaesthesia practice.

UNLABELLED: Remifentanil is a relatively new ultrashort action synthetic opioid. Studies on the use of remifentanil in neonatology have emerged demonstrating its effectiveness and safety in neonates. The present study describes the use of remifentanil in both full-term and premature newborns, highlighting the theoretical benefits for this population in terms of both neonatal intensive care and anaesthesia. A Medline search was undertaken of all reviews and reports about the use of remifentanil in neonates published between 1996 and 2009 using MeSH search terms 'remifentanil', 'analgesia', 'anaesthesia', 'newborn' and 'neonate'. The review points that remifentanil has been used with advantages in newborns including preterm neonates and even for foetal anaesthesia. It proved to be a good option to attenuate the hemodynamic/endocrine markers of stress related to surgery. Owing to its unique pharmacokinetic profile, shorter extubation times can be achieved what makes the drug also a good option for short duration invasive procedures in NICUs (InSurE). A concern on its use is that the hemodynamic response (hypotension) may become significant when the drug is associated to other drugs like sevoflurane. CONCLUSION: Remifentanil seems to be an effective and safely used opioid for neonatal intensive care and anaesthesia practice.

Mydriasis induced by sub-Tenon's ropivacaine injection in patients undergoing strabismus surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of sub-Tenon's capsule ropivacaine injection on pupillary diameter in strabismus surgery. METHODS: A total of 16 patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups. The ropivacaine group (R) received sub-Tenon's ropivacaine 1% (2.5-3 mL) injections. In the control group (C), general anesthesia was induced and a saline solution (2.5-3 mL) was injected in the sub-Tenon's capsule. Pupillary diameter was measured at baseline and 2 and 5 minutes from the injections. The effects of the injections were expressed as a ratio of final (5 minutes) versus basal diameter. RESULTS: A significant mydriasis occurred in the ropivacaine group when compared with the control group (Group R vs Group C ratio = 2.32, p < 0.0001) or with unoperated fellow eye (R vs unoperated eye ratio = 2.29, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Ropivacaine in the sub-Tenon's capsule induces a mydriasis probably related to a pharmacological ciliary ganglion block.

Remifentanil in children.

Remifentanil has gained the confidence of anesthesiologists and has given a real opportunity to change the way anesthesia is given. It can be considered the ideal opioid despite many obstacles to pediatric use: the condition of 'off-label', the lack of wide randomized clinical trials, and the fear of adverse events because of its high potency. Experiences in the field with this opioid over the years encouraged its use. Use has been associated with N(2)0 and volatile agents for general anesthesia and with propofol for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). It seems very useful for sedation inside and outside the operating room and in intensive care for both short painful procedures and synchronization with mechanical ventilation. However, its unique pharmacokinetic characteristics causing rapid onset and offset of effect appear unchanged in small children and even in premature neonates and need to be really confirmed by further pharmacokinetic studies. Moreover, the real risks of tolerance and hyperalgesia should be evaluated in the pediatric population. In this review, we go through the newer aspects of this versatile drug that has been proposed as 'the pediatric anesthetist's opiate'.