Brain-based measures of nociception during general anesthesia with remifentanil: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Catheter radiofrequency (RF) ablation for cardiac arrhythmias is a painful procedure. Prior work using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in patients under general anesthesia has indicated that ablation results in activity in pain-related cortical regions, presumably due to inadequate blockade of afferent nociceptors originating within the cardiac system. Having an objective brain-based measure for nociception and analgesia may in the future allow for enhanced analgesic control during surgical procedures. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to demonstrate that the administration of remifentanil, an opioid widely used during surgery, can attenuate the fNIRS cortical responses to cardiac ablation. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We investigated the effects of continuous remifentanil on cortical hemodynamics during cardiac ablation under anesthesia. In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo (PL)-controlled trial, we examined 32 pediatric patients (mean age of 15.8 years,16 females) undergoing catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmias at the Cardiology Department of Boston Children's Hospital from October 2016 to March 2020; 9 received 0.9% NaCl, 12 received low-dose (LD) remifentanil (0.25 mcg/kg/min), and 11 received high-dose (HD) remifentanil (0.5 mcg/kg/min). The hemodynamic changes of primary somatosensory and prefrontal cortices were recorded during surgery using a continuous wave fNIRS system. The primary outcome measures were the changes in oxyhemoglobin concentration (NadirHbO, i.e., lowest oxyhemoglobin concentration and PeakHbO, i.e., peak change and area under the curve) of medial frontopolar cortex (mFPC), lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) to ablation in PL versus remifentanil groups. Secondary measures included the fNIRS response to an auditory control condition. The data analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat (ITT) basis. Remifentanil group (dosage subgroups combined) was compared with PL, and a post hoc analysis was performed to identify dose effects. There were no adverse events. The groups were comparable in age, sex, and number of ablations. Results comparing remifentanil versus PL show that PL group exhibit greater NadirHbO in inferior mFPC (mean difference (MD) = 1.229, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.334, 2.124, p < 0.001) and superior mFPC (MD = 1.206, 95% CI = 0.303, 2.109, p = 0.001) and greater PeakHbO in inferior mFPC (MD = -1.138, 95% CI = -2.062, -0.214, p = 0.002) and superior mFPC (MD = -0.999, 95% CI = -1.961, -0.036, p = 0.008) in response to ablation. S1 activation from ablation was greatest in PL, then LD, and HD groups, but failed to reach significance, whereas lPFC activation to ablation was similar in all groups. Ablation versus auditory stimuli resulted in higher PeakHbO in inferior mFPC (MD = 0.053, 95% CI = 0.004, 0.101, p = 0.004) and superior mFPC (MD = 0.052, 95% CI = 0.013, 0.091, p < 0.001) and higher NadirHbO in posterior superior S1 (Pos. SS1; MD = -0.342, 95% CI = -0.680, -0.004, p = 0.007) during ablation of all patients. Remifentanil group had smaller NadirHbO in inferior mFPC (MD = 0.098, 95% CI = 0.009, 0.130, p = 0.003) and superior mFPC (MD = 0.096, 95% CI = 0.008, 0.116, p = 0.003) and smaller PeakHbO in superior mFPC (MD = -0.092, 95% CI = -0.680, -0.004, p = 0.007) during both the stimuli. Study limitations were small sample size, motion from surgery, indirect measure of nociception, and shallow penetration depth of fNIRS only allowing access to superficial cortical layers. CONCLUSIONS: We observed cortical activity related to nociception during cardiac ablation under general anesthesia with remifentanil. It highlights the potential of fNIRS to provide an objective pain measure in unconscious patients, where cortical-based measures may be more accurate than current evaluation methods. Future research may expand on this application to produce a real-time indication of pain that will aid clinicians in providing immediate and adequate pain treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02703090.

A Survey of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society on the Use and Clinical Application of Near- Infrared Tissue Oximetry in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the patterns of use and the perceived utility of tissue oximetry in pediatric cardiac surgery. DESIGN: A voluntary 32-question Research Electronic Data Capture survey instrument was sent twice via e-mail to the entire Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) membership (January 13, 2021 and March 9,2021). SETTING: International multi-institutional, universities, academic centers, and community hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: CCAS members. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The survey was completed by 185 of 1,131 members (16.4% response rate). The majority of respondents (93.5%) reported use of tissue oximetry, with 97.1% reporting use for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, 76.3% for cardiac surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass, 34.7% in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and 39.3% for major noncardiac surgeries. Only 14.5% reported that their institution had a formal near-infrared spectroscopy/tissue oximetry-based protocol. The most common sensor placement configuration was bilateral cerebral. More than 90% of respondents reported having made a clinical management change based on tissue oximetry values, although there was variability as to when respondents would intervene. The majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that tissue oximetry adds diagnostic value to standard intraoperative monitors, validates clinical observations, and aids in guiding patient management. Most, however, felt that tissue oximetry alone is not enough to inform management changes. CONCLUSIONS: Near-infrared spectroscopy-based tissue oximetry frequently used was by CCAS members, but with significant variations in clinical application.

Rhythmic Change of Cortical Hemodynamic Signals Associated with Ongoing Nociception in Awake and Anesthetized Individuals: An Exploratory Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing surgical procedures are vulnerable to repetitive evoked or ongoing nociceptive barrage. Using functional near infrared spectroscopy, the authors aimed to evaluate the cortical hemodynamic signal power changes during ongoing nociception in healthy awake volunteers and in surgical patients under general anesthesia. The authors hypothesized that ongoing nociception to heat or surgical trauma would induce reductions in the power of cortical low-frequency hemodynamic oscillations in a similar manner as previously reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging for ongoing pain. METHODS: Cortical hemodynamic signals during noxious stimuli from the fontopolar cortex were evaluated in two groups: group 1, a healthy/conscious group (n = 15, all males) where ongoing noxious and innocuous heat stimulus was induced by a contact thermode to the dorsum of left hand; and group 2, a patient/unconscious group (n = 13, 3 males) receiving general anesthesia undergoing knee surgery. The fractional power of low-frequency hemodynamic signals was compared across stimulation conditions in the healthy awake group, and between patients who received standard anesthesia and those who received standard anesthesia with additional regional nerve block. RESULTS: A reduction of the total fractional power in both groups-specifically, a decrease in the slow-5 frequency band (0.01 to 0.027 Hz) of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes over the frontopolar cortex-was observed during ongoing noxious stimuli in the healthy awake group (paired t test, P = 0.017; effect size, 0.70), and during invasive procedures in the surgery group (paired t test, P = 0.003; effect size, 2.16). The reduction was partially reversed in patients who received a regional nerve block that likely diminished afferent nociceptive activity (two-sample t test, P = 0.002; effect size, 2.34). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest common power changes in slow-wave cortical hemodynamic oscillations during ongoing nociceptive processing in conscious and unconscious states. The observed signal may potentially promote future development of a surrogate signal to assess ongoing nociception under general anesthesia.

Cerebral Emboli Monitoring Using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography in Adults and Children: A Review of the Current Technology and Clinical Applications in the Perioperative and Intensive Care Setting.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography is the only noninvasive bedside technology for the detection and monitoring of cerebral embolism. TCD may identify patients at risk of acute and chronic neurologic injury from gaseous or solid emboli. Importantly, a window of opportunity for intervention-to eliminate the source of the emboli and thereby prevent subsequent development of a clinical or subclinical stroke-may be identified using TCD. In this review, we discuss the application of TCD sonography in the perioperative and intensive care setting in adults and children known to be at increased risk of cerebral embolism. The major challenge for evaluation of emboli, especially in children, is the need to establish the ground truth and define true emboli identified by TCD. This requires the development and validation of a predictive TCD emboli monitoring technique so that appropriately designed clinical studies intended to identify specific modifiable factors and develop potential strategies to reduce pathologic cerebral embolic burden can be performed.

Sensitivity of a Next-Generation NIRS Device to Detect Low Mixed Venous Oxyhemoglobin Saturations in the Single Ventricle Population.

Regional cerebral oxygenation index (rSO2) based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is frequently used to detect low venous oxyhemoglobin saturation (ScvO2). We compared the performance of 2 generations of NIRS devices. Clinically obtained, time-matched cerebral rSO2 and ScvO2 values were compared in infants monitored with the FORE-SIGHT (n = 73) or FORE-SIGHT ELITE (n = 47) by linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses. In both devices, cerebral rSO2 correlated poorly with measured ScvO2 (FORE-SIGHT partial correlation 0.50 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.40-0.58]; FORE-SIGHT ELITE partial correlation 0.47 [0.39-0.55]) and mean bias was +8 (standard deviation [SD] 13.2) for FORE-SIGHT and +14 (SD 12.5) for FORE-SIGHT ELITE. When ScvO2 was <30%, rSO2 was <40 in 8% of FORE-SIGHT ELITE readings. Future NIRS should be validated in more hypoxic cohorts.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used to monitor tissue oxygenation in the pediatric cardiac surgical population. Clinicians who use NIRS must understand the underlying measurement principles in order to interpret and use this monitoring modality appropriately. The aims of this narrative review are to provide a brief overview of NIRS technology, discuss the normative and critical values of cerebral and somatic tissue oxygen saturation and the interpretation of these values, present the clinical studies (and their limitations) of NIRS as a perioperative monitoring modality in the pediatric congenital heart disease population, and introduce the emerging and future applications of NIRS.

Validation of a Second-Generation Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Monitor in Children With Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral oximetry using near-infrared spectroscopy is a noninvasive optical technology to detect cerebral hypoxia-ischemia and develop interventions to prevent and ameliorate hypoxic brain injury. Cerebral oximeters are calibrated and validated by comparison of the near-infrared spectroscopy-measured cerebral O2 saturation (SctO2) to a "field" or reference O2 saturation (REF CX) calculated as a weighted average from arterial and jugular bulb oxygen saturations. In this study, we calibrated and validated the second-generation, 5 wavelength, FORE-SIGHT Elite with the medium sensor (source-detector separation 12 and 40 mm) for measurement of SctO2 in children with congenital heart disease. METHODS: After institutional review board approval and written informed consent, 63 children older than 1 month and ≥2.5 kg scheduled for cardiac catheterization were enrolled. Self-adhesive FORE-SIGHT Elite medium sensors were placed on the right and left sides of the forehead. Blood samples for calculation of REF CX were drawn simultaneously from the aorta or femoral artery and the jugular bulb before (T1) and shortly after (T2) baseline hemodynamic measurements. FORE-SIGHT Elite SctO2 measurements were compared to the REF CX (REF CX = [0.3 SaO2] + [0.7 SjbO2]) using Deming regression, least squares linear regression, and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-one subjects (4.5 [standard deviation 4.4] years of age; 17 [standard deviation 13] kg, male 56%) completed the study protocol. Arterial oxygen saturation ranged from 64.7% to 99.1% (median 96.0%), jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation from 34.1% to 88.1% (median 68.2%), the REF CX from 43.8% to 91.4% (median 76.9%), and the SctO2 from 47.8% to 90.8% (median 76.3%). There was a high degree of correlation in SctO2 between the right and left sensors at a given time point (within subject between sensor correlation r = 0.91 and 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.94) or between T1 and T2 for the right and left sensors (replicates, within subject between time point correlation r = 0.95 and 95% CI, 0.92-0.96). By Deming regression, the estimated slope was 0.966 (95% CI, 0.786-1.147; P = .706 for testing against null hypothesis of slope = 1) with a y intercept of 2.776 (95% CI, -11.102 to 16.654; P = .689). The concordance correlation coefficient was 0.873 (95% CI, 0.798-0.922). Bland-Altman analysis for agreement between SctO2 and REF CX that accounted for repeated measures (both in times and sensors) found a bias of -0.30% (95% limits of agreement: -10.56% to 9.95%). CONCLUSIONS: This study calibrated and validated the FORE-SIGHT Elite tissue oximeter to accurately measure SctO2 in pediatric patients with the medium sensor.

White Matter Volume Predicts Language Development in Congenital Heart Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether brain volume is reduced at 1 year of age and whether these volumes are associated with neurodevelopment in biventricular congenital heart disease (CHD) repaired in infancy. STUDY DESIGN: Infants with biventricular CHD (n = 48) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neurodevelopmental testing with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories at 1 year of age. A multitemplate based probabilistic segmentation algorithm was applied to volumetric MRI data. We compared volumes with those of 13 healthy control infants of comparable ages. In the group with CHD, we measured Spearman correlations between neurodevelopmental outcomes and the residuals from linear regression of the volumes on corrected chronological age at MRI and sex. RESULTS: Compared with controls, infants with CHD had reductions of 54 mL in total brain (P = .009), 40 mL in cerebral white matter (P <.001), and 1.2 mL in brainstem (P = .003) volumes. Within the group with CHD, brain volumes were not correlated with Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II scores but did correlate positively with MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory language development. CONCLUSIONS: Infants with biventricular CHD show total brain volume reductions at 1 year of age, driven by differences in cerebral white matter. White matter volume correlates with language development, but not broader developmental indices. These findings suggest that abnormalities in white matter development detected months after corrective heart surgery may contribute to language impairment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00006183.

Cerebral Oxygen Saturation in Children With Congenital Heart Disease and Chronic Hypoxemia.

BACKGROUND: Increased hemoglobin (Hb) concentration accompanying hypoxemia is a compensatory response to maintain tissue oxygen delivery. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is used clinically to detect abnormalities in the balance of cerebral tissue oxygen delivery and consumption, including in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Although NIRS-measured cerebral tissue O2 saturation (ScO2) correlates with arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), jugular bulb O2 saturation (SjbO2), and Hb, little data exist on the interplay between these factors and cerebral O2 extraction (COE). This study investigated the associations of ScO2 and ΔSaO2-ScO2 with SaO2 and Hb and verified the normal range of ScO2 in children with CHD. METHODS: Children undergoing cardiac catheterization for CHD were enrolled in a calibration and validation study of the FORE-SIGHT NIRS monitor. Two pairs of simultaneous arterial and jugular bulb samples were drawn for co-oximetry, calculation of a reference ScO2 (REF CX), and estimation of COE. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to determine relationships between O2 saturation parameters and Hb. Data were also analyzed according to diagnostic group defined as acyanotic (SaO2 ≥ 90%) and cyanotic (SaO2 < 90%). RESULTS: Of 65 children studied, acceptable jugular bulb samples (SjbO2 absolute difference between samples ≤10%) were obtained in 57 (88%). The ΔSaO2-SjbO2, ΔSaO2-ScO2, and ΔSaO2-REF CX were positively correlated with SaO2 and negatively correlated with Hb (all P < .001). Although by diagnostic group ScO2 differed statistically (P = .002), values in the cyanotic patients were within the range considered normal (69% ± 6%). COE estimated by the difference between arterial and jugular bulb O2 content (ΔCaO2-CjbO2, mL O2/100 mL) was not different for cyanotic and acyanotic patients (P = .10), but estimates using ΔSaO2-SjbO2, ΔSaO2-ScO2, or ΔSaO2-ScO2/SaO2 were significantly different between the cyanotic and acyanotic children (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with adequately compensated chronic hypoxemia appear to have ScO2 values within the normal range. The ΔSaO2-ScO2 is inversely related to Hb, with the implication that in the presence of reduced Hb, particularly if coupled with a decreased cardiac output, the ScO2 can fall to values associated with brain injury in laboratory studies.

Noninvasive Cardiac Output Estimation by Inert Gas Rebreathing in Mechanically Ventilated Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and accuracy of inert gas rebreathing (IGR) pulmonary blood flow (Qp) estimation in mechanically ventilated pediatric patients, potentially providing real-time noninvasive estimates of cardiac output. STUDY DESIGN: In mechanically ventilated patients in the pediatric catheterization laboratory, we compared IGR Qp with Qp estimates based upon the Fick equation using measured oxygen consumption (VO2) (FickTrue); for context, we compared FickTrue with a standard clinical short-cut, replacing measured with assumed VO2 in the Fick equation (FickLaFarge, FickLundell, FickSeckeler). IGR Qp and breath-by-breath VO2 were measured using the Innocor device. Sampled pulmonary arterial and venous saturations and hemoglobin concentration were used for Fick calculations. Qp estimates were compared using Bland-Altman agreement and Spearman correlation. RESULTS: The final analysis included 18 patients aged 4-23 years with weight >15 kg. Compared with the reference FickTrue, IGR Qp estimates correlated best and had the least systematic bias and narrowest 95% limits of agreement (results presented as mean bias ±95% limits of agreement): IGR -0.2 ± 1.1 L/min, r = 0.90; FickLaFarge +0.7 ± 2.2 L/min, r = 0.80; FickLundell +1.6 ± 2.9 L/min, r = 0.83; FickSeckeler +0.8 ± 2.5 L/min, r = 0.83. CONCLUSIONS: IGR estimation of Qp is feasible in mechanically ventilated patients weighing >15 kg, and agreement with FickTrue Qp estimates is better for IGR than for other Fick Qp estimates commonly used in pediatric catheterization. IGR is an attractive option for bedside monitoring of Qp in mechanically ventilated children.

Evaluation of cerebral oxygenation and perfusion with conversion from an arterial-to-systemic shunt circulation to the bidirectional Glenn circulation in patients with univentricular cardiac abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: Superior vena cava pressure after the bidirectional Glenn operation usually is higher than that associated with the preceding shunt-dependent circulation. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the acute elevation in central venous pressure was associated with changes in cerebral oxygenation and perfusion. DESIGN: Single-center prospective, observational cohort study. SETTING: Academic children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Infants with single-ventricle lesions and surgically placed systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunts undergoing the bidirectional Glenn operation. INTERVENTIONS: Near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial Doppler sonography were used to measure regional cerebral oxygen saturation and cerebral blood flow velocity. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mean differences in regional cerebral oxygen saturation and cerebral blood flow velocity before anesthetic induction and shortly before hospital discharge were compared using the F-test in repeated measures analysis of variance. In the 24 infants studied, mean cerebral oxygen saturation increased from 49%±2% to 57%±2% (p = 0.007), mean cerebral blood flow velocity decreased from 57±4 cm/s to 47±4 cm/s (p = 0.026), and peak systolic cerebral blood flow velocity decreased from 111±6 cm/s to 99±6 cm/s (p = 0.046) after the bidirectional Glenn operation. Mean central venous pressure was 8±2 mmHg postinduction of anesthesia and 14±4 mmHg on the first postoperative day and was not associated with a change in cerebral perfusion pressure (p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: The bidirectional Glenn operation in infants with a shunt-dependent circulation is associated with an improvement in cerebral oxygenation, and the lower cerebral blood flow velocity is likely a response of intact cerebral autoregulation.

Surgically induced neuropathic pain: understanding the perioperative process.

Nerve damage takes place during surgery. As a consequence, significant numbers (10%-40%) of patients experience chronic neuropathic pain termed surgically induced neuropathic pain (SNPP). The initiating surgery and nerve damage set off a cascade of events that includes both pain and an inflammatory response, resulting in "peripheral and central sensitization," with the latter resulting from repeated barrages of neural activity from nociceptors. In affected patients, these initial events produce chemical, structural, and functional changes in the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS). The maladaptive changes in damaged nerves lead to peripheral manifestations of the neuropathic state-allodynia, sensory loss, shooting pains, etc, that can manifest long after the effects of the surgical injury have resolved. The CNS manifestations that occur are termed "centralization of pain" and affect sensory, emotional, and other (eg, cognitive) systems as well as contributing to some of the manifestations of the chronic pain syndrome (eg, depression). Currently there are no objective measures of nociception and pain in the perioperative period. As such, intermittent or continuous pain may take place during and after surgery. New technologies including direct measures of specific brain function of nociception and new insights into preoperative evaluation of patients including genetic predisposition, appear to provide initial opportunities for decreasing the burden of SNPP, until treatments with high efficacy and low adverse effects that either prevent or treat pain are discovered.

Can pain under anesthesia be measured? Pain-related brain function using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during knee surgery.

Significance: Quantitative measurement of perisurgical brain function may provide insights into the processes contributing to acute and chronic postsurgical pain. Aim: We evaluate the hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex (medial frontopolar cortex/mFPC and lateral prefrontal cortex) and the primary somatosensory cortex/S1 using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 18 patients (18.2±3.3 years, 11 females) undergoing knee arthroscopy. Approach: We examined the (a) hemodynamic response to surgery and (b) the relationship between surgery-modulated cortical connectivity (using beta-series correlation) and acute postoperative pain levels using Pearson's r correlation with 10,000 permutations. Results: We show a functional dissociation between mFPC and S1 in response to surgery, where mFPC deactivates, and S1 activates following a procedure. Furthermore, the connectivity between (a) left mFPC and right S1 (original r=-0.683, ppermutation=0.001), (b) right mFPC and right S1 (original r=-0.633, ppermutation=0.002), and (c) left mFPC and right S1 (original r=-0.695, ppermutation=0.0002) during surgery were negatively associated with acute postoperative pain levels. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that greater functional dissociation between mFPC and S1 is likely the result of inadequately controlled nociceptive barrage during surgery leading to more significant postoperative pain. It also supports the utility of fNIRS during the perioperative state for pain monitoring and patient risk assessment for chronic pain.

Preventing pediatric chronic postsurgical pain: Time for increased rigor.

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) results from a cascade of events in the peripheral and central nervous systems following surgery. Several clinical predictors, including the prior pain state, premorbid psychological state (e.g., anxiety, catastrophizing), intraoperative surgical load (establishment of peripheral and central sensitization), and acute postoperative pain management, may contribute to the patient's risk of developing CPSP. However, research on the neurobiological and biobehavioral mechanisms contributing to pediatric CPSP and effective preemptive/treatment strategies are still lacking. Here we evaluate the perisurgical process by identifying key problems and propose potential solutions for the pre-, intra-, and postoperative pain states to both prevent and manage the transition of acute to chronic pain. We propose an eight-step process involving preemptive and preventative analgesia, behavioral interventions, and the use of biomarkers (brain-based, inflammatory, or genetic) to facilitate timely evaluation and treatment of premorbid psychological factors, ongoing surgical pain, and postoperative pain to provide an overall improved outcome. By achieving this, we can begin to establish personalized precision medicine for children and adolescents presenting to surgery and subsequent treatment selection.

La douleur chronique post-chirurgicale (DCPC) résulte d'une cascade d'événements dans les systèmes nerveux central et périphérique suite à une intervention chirurgicale. Plusieurs prédicteurs cliniques, y compris l'état douloureux antérieur, l'état psychologique prémorbide (p. ex., anxiété, catastrophisme), la charge chirurgicale peropératoire (établissement d'une sensibilisation périphérique et centrale) et la prise en charge de la douleur postopératoire aiguë, peuvent contribuer au risque du patient de développer une DCPC. Cependant, la recherche sur les mécanismes neurobiologiques et biocomportementaux contribuant à la DCPC pédiatrique et sur les stratégies de prévention et de traitement efficaces font encore défaut. Nous évaluons ici le processus périchirurgical en cernant les problémes clés et en proposant des solutions potentielles pour les états douloureux pré, per et postopératoires afin de prévenir et de prendre en charge la transition de la douleur aiguë à la douleur chronique. Nous proposons un processus en huit étapes impliquant l'analgésie préemptive et préventive, les interventions comportementales et l'utilisation de biomarqueurs (cérébraux, inflammatoires ou génétiques) pour faciliter l'évaluation et le traitement opportuns des facteurs psychologiques prémorbides, de la douleur chirurgicale persistante et de la douleur postopératoire afin d'améliorer le résultat global. En y parvenant, nous pouvons commencer à établir une médecine de précision personnalisée pour les enfants et les adolescents qui subissent une intervention chirurgicale et à la sélection du traitement qui s'ensuit.

Measuring "pain load" during general anesthesia.

Introduction: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allows for ongoing measures of brain functions during surgery. The ability to evaluate cumulative effects of painful/nociceptive events under general anesthesia remains a challenge. Through observing signal differences and setting boundaries for when observed events are known to produce pain/nociception, a program can trigger when the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin goes beyond ±0.3 mM from 25 s after standardization. Method: fNIRS signals were retrieved from patients undergoing knee surgery for anterior cruciate ligament repair under general anesthesia. Continuous fNIRS measures were measured from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), which is known to be involved in evaluation of nociception, and the medial polar frontal cortex (mPFC), which are both involved in higher cortical functions (viz. cognition and emotion). Results: A ±0.3 mM threshold for painful/nociceptive events was observed during surgical incisions at least twice, forming a basis for a potential near-real-time recording of pain/nociceptive events. Evidence through observed true positives in S1 and true negatives in mPFC are linked through statistically significant correlations and this threshold. Conclusion: Our results show that standardizing and observing concentrations over 25 s using the ±0.3 mM threshold can be an arbiter of the continuous number of incisions performed on a patient, contributing to a potential intraoperative pain load index that correlates with post-operative levels of pain and potential pain chronification.

fNIRS brain measures of ongoing nociception during surgical incisions under anesthesia.

Significance: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has evaluated pain in awake and anesthetized states. Aim: We evaluated fNIRS signals under general anesthesia in patients undergoing knee surgery for anterior cruciate ligament repair. Approach: Patients were split into groups: those with regional nerve block (NB) and those without (non-NB). Continuous fNIRS measures came from three regions: the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), known to be involved in evaluation of nociception, the lateral prefrontal cortex (BA9), and the polar frontal cortex (BA10), both involved in higher cortical functions (such as cognition and emotion). Results: Our results show three significant differences in fNIRS signals to incision procedures between groups: (1) NB compared with non-NB was associated with a greater net positive hemodynamic response to pain procedures in S1; (2) dynamic correlation between the prefrontal cortex (PreFC) and S1 within 1 min of painful procedures are anticorrelated in NB while positively correlated in non-NB; and (3) hemodynamic measures of activation were similar at two separate time points during surgery (i.e., first and last incisions) in PreFC and S1 but showed significant differences in their overlap. Comparing pain levels immediately after surgery and during discharge from postoperative care revealed no significant differences in the pain levels between NB and non-NB. Conclusion: Our data suggest multiple pain events that occur during surgery using devised algorithms could potentially give a measure of "pain load." This may allow for evaluation of central sensitization (i.e., a heightened state of the nervous system where noxious and non-noxious stimuli is perceived as painful) to postoperative pain levels and the resulting analgesic consumption. This evaluation could potentially predict postsurgical chronic neuropathic pain.

Relationship of intraoperative cerebral oxygen saturation to neurodevelopmental outcome and brain magnetic resonance imaging at 1 year of age in infants undergoing biventricular repair.

BACKGROUND: Near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring of cerebral oxygen saturation (rSo(2)) has become routine in many centers, but no studies have reported the relationship of intraoperative near-infrared spectroscopy to long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after cardiac surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 104 infants undergoing biventricular repair without aortic arch reconstruction, 89 (86%) returned for neurodevelopmental testing at 1 year of age. The primary near-infrared spectroscopy variable was the integrated rSo(2) (area under the curve) for rSo(2)

Pediatric heart transplantation: demographics, outcomes, and anesthetic implications.

The evolving demographics, outcomes, and anesthetic management of pediatric heart transplant recipients are reviewed. As survival continues to improve, an increasing number of these patients will present to our operating rooms and sedation suites. It is therefore important that all anesthesiologists, not only those specialized in cardiac anesthesia, have a basic understanding of the physiologic changes in the transplanted heart and the anesthetic implications thereof.

Massive air embolism in a Fontan patient.

Most institutions performing cardiopulmonary bypass for congenital heart disease patients use an integrated hard shell cardiotomy and venous reservoir attached to an oxygenator. It is of paramount importance that the integrated reservoir be vented so as not to cause pressurization. A pressurized sealed cardiotomy has been reported to occur secondary to issues with vacuum assisted venous drainage systems as well as improper venting in general. We report a case of air embolus caused by retrograde propulsion of air through the venous line secondary to a pressurized cardiotomy reservoir in a patient with Fontan circulation. The mechanism of cardiotomy pressurization is described, and the scenario simulated in a mock circuit.