Comparison of Propofol-Fentanyl with Midazolam-Ketamine Combination in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Kidney Biopsy.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney biopsy is a procedure of choice for the diagnosis of many kidney diseases. In children it is performed with the use of sedatives. The aim of this study was to compare the combination of propofol/fentanyl with midazolam/ketamine for sedation in pediatric patients undergoing kidney biopsy. METHODS: In this double-blinded clinical trial, seventeen children, candidate of kidney biopsy were included and randomized into two groups. One group received Midazolam/Ketamine with doses of 30 to 50 µg/kg and 0.25 to 1 mg/kg, and the other group were sedated with propofol/fentanyl combination in doses of 0.5 to 1 mg/kg and 0.5 to 1 mg/kg, respectively. Administration time, medication doses, total procedure time, need for analgesic use after the procedure, and patient relaxation, with no agitation during and after the biopsy were recorded. RESULTS: Nine patients received midazolam/ketamine and eight received propofol/fentanyl. None of them experienced vomiting or itching after sedation. There were no meaningful differences in qualitative variables of the need for pain relief between two groups. Regarding the distribution of pain at the time of sedation, and 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours after sedation, there was no significant statistical difference between the two groups. There was also no significant statistical difference between the two groups, regarding patients' relaxation during, and 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours after biopsy. CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference between the degree of sedation and the analgesic effect of the two regimens in the two groups.  DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.6982.

Analgesia for Pediatric Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation in Hemodialytic Patients: A Comparison of Lidocaine Gel, Lidocaine Spray, and Needle Plate.

BACKGROUND: Children undergoing hemodialysis (HD) via arteriovenous fistula (AVF) experience approximately 300 painful punctures per year which may lead to non-compliance with HD. This study was conducted to show the effect of local anesthetics on pain perception in AVF cannulation. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial included 20 children under HD via AVF in Sheikh Children's Hospital Hemodialysis Center in February 2014. The first intervention was conducted as the baseline pain assessment (control), then every patient randomly received all three other interventions: Lidocaine gel, lidocaine spray, and needle plate, before venipuncture. Pain perception was expressed and recorded by patients using the visual analogue scale (VAS). VAS scores were compared, and a P value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The VAS mean in lidocaine spray state, lidocaine gel state, and needle plate state was respectively 47.87, 51.31, and 49.43, which were significantly less than the control state with the VAS mean of 60.06 (lidocaine spray vs. control P value = 0.001, lidocaine gel vs. control P value = 0.001, and needle plate vs. control P value = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the use of needle plate, lidocaine spray, and lidocaine gel are all equally effective ways in controlling the degree of pain in AVF needling in children undergoing HD.

A Comparison Between Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine As Immunosuppression after Renal Transplantation in Children, A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: There are some randomized trials which have already evaluated different calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), especially comparing Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine, as immunosuppressant agents in children. However, their findings have been occasionally conflicting and thus debatable. Therefore, the evidence on safety and efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy after kidney transplantation in children has been inconclusive and argued to date. This study was aimed to compare the benefits and disadvantages of tacrolimus versus cyclosporine as the primary immunosuppression after renal transplantation in children. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was done. An electronic literature review was conducted to identify appropriate studies. The outcomes were presented as relative risk, with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Five qualified randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review. Tacrolimus was insignificantly superior to cyclosporine considering the total effect size of graft loss (RR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.40 - 1.11; P > .05) and acute rejection (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.59 - 1.05; P > .05). On the contrary, cyclosporine seemed to be insignificantly superior to tacrolimus regarding mortality rate (RR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.59 - 1.90; P > .05). CONCLUSION: Admitting the study limitations mainly because of the nature and case study size of the included trials, it can be concluded from our systematic review results that Tacrolimus seems insignificantly superior to Cyclosporine respecting graft loss and acute rejection. However, Cyclosporine was shown to be insignificantly superior regarding mortality rate. However additional studies with a larger sample size are highly recommended.