[Procedural sedation: an integral part of tertiary care in pediatrics].

Procedural sedation and analgesia comprise an integral part of high quality tertiary care in pediatrics. All patients undergoing procedural sedation should be evaluated as extensively as in patients receiving general anesthesia, and an appropriate fasting time should also be considered. Since cardio-respiratory side effects are inevitably associated with sedative medications, (1) only medical personnel with an expertise in the use of these medications should manage procedural sedation, and (2) additionally, the choice of medication should be decided on a case-by-case basis as no single sedation recipe has proven superior to others. Analgesics should be introduced during painful procedures in order to reduce the chance of overdose by hypnotics alone. During sedation, medical staff should continuously monitor the patients so that prompt resuscitation can be provided if unexpected critical events occur. Following the procedure, medical staff should also monitor patients until full recovery is achieved. Pediatric anesthesiologists should be involved in the sedation procedure for patients with complicated medical histories. Finally, care should be taken to avoid ferrous equipment when performing sedation in an MRI suite.

[Cardiovascular effects of human atrial natriuretic peptide during renal transplantation].

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the cardiovascular effects of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) in the recipients of renal transplantation. METHODS: Anesthesia was maintained by inhalation of nitrous-oxide and isoflurane in oxygen, with epidural block. The recipients were divided into three groups; one group received no hANP infusion as control and the other groups received continuous infusion of hANP at the rate of either 0.05 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) or 0.1 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1). Intravenous infusion of hANP was started at the anastomosis of renal artery after the fresh frozen plasma was loaded to achieve PCWP over 17 mmHg. In each group, we examined cardiovascular changes by using a pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal echocardiography. The measurements were done before and after 15 minutes of hANP infusion. RESULTS: In comparison with control, the decreases in PCWP and CVP were significant in the 0.1 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) group. An increase in CI and the reduction of CVP were significant in 0.05 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) group, when compared with control group. In the 0.1 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) group, the reductions of PCWP and CVP and MAP were significant, but the significant increase in CI was characteristic in the 0.05 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) group. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the low-dose infusion of hANP in the recipients of renal transplantation is useful for the optimal anesthetic care because of the cardiovascular improvement.

[Cardiovascular effects of human atrial natriuretic peptide during pediatric renal transplantation].

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the cardiovascular effects of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) in the pediatric recipients undergoing renal transplantation. METHODS: Anesthesia was maintained by inhalation of nitrous-oxide and isoflurane in oxygen. Intravenous infusion of hANP at a rate of 0.05 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) was started on the anastomosis of the renal artery after the fresh frozen plasma had been loaded to achieve PCWP above 17 mmHg. We examined cardiovascular changes by using a pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal echocardiography. The measurements were done before and after 15 minutes of hANP infusion. RESULTS: An increase in CI and a reduction in PCWP were significant. CONCLUSIONS: The low-dose infusion of hANP was useful in pediatric recipients undergoing renal transplantation for the optimal anesthetic care in view of the improvement of cardiovascular functions.