Determining residual gastric volume in healthy children using ultrasound.

PURPOSE: Fasting guidelines for children recommend restricting clear fluids for one or two hours before a procedure to reduce pulmonary aspiration. Gastric volumes < 1.5 mL·kg-1 do not seem to present an increased risk of pulmonary aspiration. Our aim was to quantify the time to achieve a gastric volume < 1.5 mL·kg-1 after clear fluid ingestion in children. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study in healthy volunteers aged 1-14 yr. Participants followed American Society of Anesthesiologists fasting guidelines prior to data collection. Gastric ultrasound (US) was performed in the right lateral decubitus (RLD) position to determine the antral cross-sectional area (CSA). Following baseline measurements, participants consumed 250 mL of a clear fluid. We then performed gastric US at four time intervals: 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. Data were collected following a predictive model for gastric volume estimation using the formula: volume (mL) = -7.8 + (3.5 × RLD CSA) + (0.127) × age (months). RESULTS: We recruited 33 healthy children aged 2-14 yr. The mean gastric volume per weight (mL·kg-1) at baseline was 0.51 mL·kg-1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46 to 0.57). The mean gastric volume was 1.55 mL·kg-1 (95% CI, 1.36 to 1.75) at 30 min, 1.17 mL·kg-1 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.33) at 60 min, 0.76 mL·kg-1 (95% CI, 0.67 to 0.85) at 90 min, and 0.58 mL·kg-1 (95% CI, 0.52 to 0.65) at 120 min. CONCLUSION: Our results show that total gastric fluid volume was < 1.5 mL·kg-1 after 60 min, suggesting that current fasting guidelines for children could be liberalized.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les directives de jeûne pour les enfants recommandent de restreindre les liquides clairs pendant une ou deux heures avant une intervention pour réduire l'aspiration pulmonaire. Des volumes gastriques < 1,5 mL·kg−1 ne semblent pas présenter un risque accru d'aspiration pulmonaire. Notre objectif était de quantifier le temps nécessaire pour atteindre un volume gastrique < 1,5 mL·kg−1 après ingestion de liquides clairs chez les enfants. MéTHODE: Nous avons mené une étude observationnelle prospective chez des volontaires en bonne santé âgé·es de 1 à 14 ans. Les participant·es ont suivi les directives de jeûne de l'American Society of Anesthesiologists avant la collecte de données. L'échographie gastrique a été réalisée en décubitus latéral droit (DLD) pour déterminer la section transversale antrale. Après les mesures initiales, les participant·es ont consommé 250 mL d'un liquide clair. Nous avons ensuite réalisé une échographie gastrique à quatre intervalles de temps : 30, 60, 90 et 120 minutes. Les données ont été recueillies selon un modèle prédictif pour l'estimation du volume gastrique à l'aide de la formule : volume (mL) = −7,8 + (3,5 × section transversale antrale en DLD) + (0,127) × âge (mois). RéSULTATS: Nous avons recruté 33 enfants en bonne santé âgé·es de 2 à 14 ans. Le volume gastrique moyen par poids (mL·kg−1) au début de l'intervention était de 0,51 mL·kg−1 (intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 %, 0,46 à 0,57). Le volume gastrique moyen était de 1,55 mL·kg−1 (IC 95 %, 1,36 à 1,75) à 30 min, 1,17 mL·kg−1 (IC 95 %, 1,01 à 1,33) à 60 min, 0,76 mL·kg−1 (IC 95 %, 0,67 à 0,85) à 90 min, et 0,58 mL·kg−1 (IC 95 %, 0,52 à 0,65) à 120 min. CONCLUSION: Nos résultats montrent que le volume total de liquide gastrique était < 1,5 mL·kg−1 après 60 min, suggérant que les directives actuelles de jeûne pour les enfants pourraient être libéralisées.

Effect of dexamethasone on postoperative morbidity after dental rehabilitation in children.

PURPOSE: Dexamethasone reduces postoperative morbidity after adenotonsillectomy, strabismus surgery, and third molar extraction. Our hypothesis was that dexamethasone would reduce pain and other morbidity in children undergoing dental surgery for up to 24 hr postoperatively. METHODS: A triple-blinded, randomized, controlled trial was carried out on 200 children undergoing prolonged dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. Subjects were randomized into two groups: group D, given dexamethasone 0.3 mg·kg(-1); group S, given normal saline. The primary outcome measure was pain over 24 hr as evaluated by a parental 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Key secondary outcomes included oral intake on a four-point scale at 24 hr and the overall incidence of postoperative vomiting (POV). Analysis for the primary outcome consisted of comparison of means in the NRS with the Wilcoxon rank sum test and for occurrence of POV with Fisher's test. RESULTS: After eliminating 22 subjects for protocol violations and withdrawals, 178 subjects were analyzed. There was no significant difference in pain scores (NRS) at 24 hr or the worst NRS experienced over the preceding 24 hr. There was no difference in the quality of oral intake between the groups. There was a significant difference in the percentage of patients who vomited during the first 24 hr: eight of 91 in group S and one of 87 in group D. Therefore, 7.74% more vomited in group S (P = 0.045), with a 95% confidence interval of 0.32 to15.16 for the difference in percentages. CONCLUSIONS: Dexamethasone, 0.3 mg·kg(-1), did not reduce pain over 24 hr in healthy children undergoing dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. The quality of oral intake was also unaffected by dexamethasone at 24 hr. Dexamethasone did produce a significant reduction in postdischarge vomiting, beyond the incidence found with ondansetron alone.

Perioperative care of congenital adrenal hyperplasia - a disparity of physician practices in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is the most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in children. Current guidelines recommend the use of perioperative stress dose (supraphysiologic) glucocorticoids for children with CAH undergoing anesthesia, although a perceived difference in practice patterns among Canadian pediatric subspecialists prompted an assessment of perioperative glucocorticoid administration. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey of Canadian Pediatric Anesthesia Society (CPAS) and Canadian Pediatric Endocrine Group (CPEG) members via membership email lists to assess reported practice patterns to select clinical scenarios. RESULTS: Responses were collected from 49 anesthesiologists and 37 pediatric endocrinologists. Less than half of anesthesiologists reported they would provide stress dose corticosteroids for patients undergoing cystoscopy while a significant majority of pediatric endocrinologists reported they would recommend stress dose corticosteroid administration (45% vs 92% respectively, p < 0.0001). Twenty-one percent of anesthesiologists reported they would not provide stress dose corticosteroids for patients undergoing laparotomy. Pediatric endocrinologists reported they were more likely to refer to guidelines for management of stress dose steroids (84% vs 51%, p < 0.001), with many Canadian pediatric endocrinologists reporting to use institution specific guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a clear difference in the reported approach to perioperative stress dose steroids between pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric endocrinologists which may impact patient care. Further dialogue is required to address this apparent discrepancy in practice patterns and future research is needed to provide evidence-based practice recommendations.