The usefulness of a nasopharyngeal multiplex polymerase chain reaction system to screen pediatric patients with preoperative fever.

BACKGROUND: When children have a preoperative fever, anesthesiologists must help determine whether to postpone or proceed with surgery, as fever may be a sign of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Such infections are a known risk factor for perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs), which are still one of the prime causes of anesthetic mortality and morbidity in pediatric patients. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, preoperative assessments have become drastically more complex as hospitals strive to balance practicality and safety. In our facility, if pediatric patients presented with preoperative fever, we used the FilmArray® Respiratory Panel 2.1 to determine whether to postpone or proceed with surgery. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective observational study evaluating the efficacy of the FilmArray® Respiratory Panel 2.1 as a preoperative screening test. This study included pediatric patients scheduled for elective surgeries between March 2021 and February 2022. FilmArray was used if a patient had a preoperative fever (determined by axillary temperature, ≥38°C for <1-year-old, ≥37.5°C for ≥1-year-old) between hospital admission and before surgery. We excluded patients if they had apparent symptoms of URTI. RESULTS: In the FilmArray positive group, 11 of 25 (44%) cases developed subsequent symptoms after surgery was canceled. No patients in the negative group developed symptoms. The proportion of the development of subsequent symptoms between the FilmArray positive and negative groups was statistically significant (p < .001, odds ratio: 29.6, 95% confidence interval: [3.80-1356.01]). CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective observational study revealed that 44% of the FilmArray positive group subsequently developed symptoms, and no PRAEs were observed in the FilmArray negative group. We suggest that FilmArray could be useful as a screening test for pediatric patients with preoperative fever.

[A Case of EXIT (Ex-utero Intrapartum Treatment) in a Fetus with Prenatal Diagnosis of a Giant Cervical Tumor: Successful Airway Management but without Indication of Treatment for a Tumor].

The ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) is a rare procedure, and often comes as an emergency surgery. A careful preparation is crucial and a multidisciplinary team discussion during the prenatal period is necessary because it may be practically and ethically difficult to plan a surgical treatment for a fetus for EXIT. An elective caesarean section and EXIT for a fetus with a giant cervical tumor, which may cause airway obstruction and difficult intubation, were scheduled. The anesthesiologist tried oral intubation by direct laryngoscope; however, neither blade nor rigid bronchoscope insertion was impossible as a firm mass protruded in oral cavity from the left side. Tracheotomy was successfully performed and the airway was secured. As for maternal anesthesia, adequate uterine relaxation was obtained by inhalational agents and nitroglycerine. After ligation of the umbilical cord, anesthesia was maintained with propofol and fentanyl, and good uterine contraction was provided by infusion of oxytocin. The duration of EXIT was 44 minutes. The fetal tumor, containing both solid and cystic components, was 14 centimeters in diameter, and infiltrated into intracranial space. There was no indication of resection nor chemotherapy for the tumor. Palliative care was selected, and the neonate died forty days after birth.

Cardiac arrest after thoracic paravertebral block with ropivacaine in a 6-year-old child.

We encountered cardiac arrest induced by 0.375 % ropivacaine 7 ml administered via a catheter for continuous thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) in a 6-year-old female who underwent pacemaker implantation for sick sinus syndrome (SSS). She was successfully resuscitated with adrenaline and lipid emulsion. Plasma concentration of ropivacaine was 5.2 µg/ml, suggesting intravascular administration of ropivacaine. Inadvertent intravascular administration is a crucial complication of TPVB.

[Anesthetic management of a patient with hemophilia B during scoliosis surgery].

Posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis was planned in a 14-year-old male patient with hemophilia B. Preoperative examination showed factor IX activity of 8.4% with no inhibitor development. A perioperative dosage schedule was prepared after examining the pharmacokinetics of recombinant coagulation factor IX in order to maintain levels of perioperative factor IX activity at < or = 80% for the first 6 days (days 0-6), and > or = 40% for days 7-14 postoperatively. The dose of recombinant coagulation factor IX was adjusted to maintain factor IX activity above 80%, while measuring coagulation activity every hour during the surgery. The patient showed a favorable course without hemorrhagic tendency. We could safely manage anesthesia without requiring allogeneic blood transfusion.

Successful one-lung ventilation in a patient with the Fontan circulation undergoing thoracotomy: a case report.

The incidence of noncardiac surgery in patients with the Fontan circulation has increased over the years due to the elongated life expectancy of these patients. In patients with the Fontan circulation, pulmonary blood flow is passive, so it is important to keep pulmonary vascular resistance low. One-lung ventilation (OLV) can have adverse effects on the Fontan circulation due to hypoxia, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, hypercarbia, and increased airway pressure. We present a case of successful OLV in a patient with the Fontan circulation and describe our perioperative management.

[Anesthetic management of a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum].

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disease, which is characterized by hypersensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet (UV)-radiation and progressive neurological complications. Patients with XP show a failure to properly repair UV-induced DNA lesions by the nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanism. This results predominantly in a high frequency of UV-induced skin tumors at an early age. Therefore, patients with XP must avoid exposure to UV-radiation by use of protective clothing, sunscreen and UV-blocking film. We report a 15-year-old girl, who underwent surgical treatment twice for clubfoot under general anesthesia using propofol and fentanyl. We protected her skin from light with UV blocking film in the operating room. Both surgical procedures were performed uneventfully except for delayed awakening. A number of precautions must be taken in the perioperative management of XP patients, which include proper shielding from damaging light, avoidance of all drugs that harm DNA such as halothane and careful evaluation of neurological abnormalities. There is a possibility of difficult endotracheal intubation or prolonged effect of muscle relaxation due to skin atrophy and joint contracture.

Inhaled nitric oxide therapy after Fontan-type operations.

PURPOSE: Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) therapy is a newly developed strategy designed to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance after the Fontan-type operation. We reviewed our experience to evaluate its efficacy and true indications. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 47 children who received inhaled NO therapy after the Fontan-type operation between August 1996 and December 2002. The maximal dose of NO ranged from 5 to 30 ppm (median 10 ppm), and the duration of inhaled NO therapy ranged from 5 h to 52 days (median 2 days). RESULTS: Inhaled NO significantly decreased the central venous pressure (CVP), from 16.2 +/- 2.2 to 14.6 +/- 2.2 mmHg (P < 0.0001), and the transpulmonary pressure gradient between the CVP and left atrial pressure, from 9.9 +/- 2.9 to 8.4 +/- 2.7 mmHg (P < 0.0001). It also increased the systolic systemic arterial pressure from 71.9 +/- 15.2 to 76.8 +/- 14.5 mmHg (P < 0.05). In 26 patients with additional fenestration, inhaled NO led to a significant improvement in SaO(2) from 90.1% +/- 9.6% to 93.3% +/- 7.9% (P < 0.01). However, patients with a CVP <15 mmHg or a transpulmonary pressure gradient <8 mmHg, or both, after the Fontan-type operation, showed no significant changes in hemodynamics during inhaled NO therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that a CVP >/=15 mmHg or a transpulmonary pressure gradient >/=8 mmHg, or both, after Fontan-type operations are appropriate indications for inhaled NO therapy.

Intravenous magnesium sulfate as a preanesthetic medication: A double-blind study on its effects on hemodynamic stabilization at the time of tracheal intubation.

The effects of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a preanesthetic medication were studied with regard to whether it can sedate or relieve a patient who is scheduled to undergo surgery, and whether it can control the hemodynamic response to tracheal intubation. Twenty adult patients in ASA status 1-2 undergoing elective surgery were studied. Ten patients received 50 mg·g-1 MgSO4 intravenously by drip infusion from 30 min before the induction of anesthesia, and another ten patients received saline as a control. The changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) after the intubation were significantly suppressed in magnesium-treated patients, but a sedative effect was not observed. Therefore, MgSO4 was useful as a preanesthetic medication in suppressing the hemodynamic response associated with tracheal intubation.