Ultrasound assessment of cranial spread during caudal blockade in children: effect of the speed of injection of local anaesthetics.

Background: Despite caudal blockade being the most widely used regional anaesthetic procedure for infants and children undergoing subumbilical surgery, the question whether the injection velocity of the local anaesthetic itself affects its spread in the epidural space has not yet been investigated. Thus, the aim of the present study was to measure the cranial spread of caudally administered local anaesthetics in infants and children by means of real-time ultrasonography, with a special focus on comparing the effect of using two different speeds of injection.

Methods: Fifty ASA I-II infants and children, aged up to 6 yr, weighing up to 25 kg, undergoing subumbilical surgery, were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, observer-blinded study.

Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the great saphenous vein at the ankle in infants.

Background: The establishment of peripheral venous access in infants is the most common invasive technique in paediatric anaesthesia. Venous puncture can be challenging due to the small size of vessels in this patient population. The present study was designed to investigate the practicability of ultrasound-guided vascular access to the great saphenous vein (GSV) at the level of the medial malleolus in infants ≤ 12 months.

Ultrasound assessment of cranial spread during caudal blockade in children: the effect of different volumes of local anaesthetics.

Background: Despite the large amount of literature on caudal anaesthesia in children, the issue of volume of local anaesthetics and cranial spread is still not settled. Thus, the aim of the present prospective randomized study was to evaluate the cranial spread of caudally administered local anaesthetics in children by means of real-time ultrasound, with a special focus on the effects of using different volumes of local anaesthetics.

Methods: Seventy-five children, 1 month to 6 yr, undergoing inguinal hernia repair or more distal surgery were randomized to receive a caudal block with 0.

A comparison of paediatric airway anatomy with the SimBaby high-fidelity patient simulator.

Background: The SimBaby high-fidelity patient simulator is a widely used paediatric simulator for the training of standard and critical airway management scenarios. Furthermore this simulator is frequently used for the evaluation of different airway devices and techniques. However, the anatomic structures of the SimBaby have not been compared to actual patients' anatomy.

Management of hypertrophic pylorus stenosis with ultrasound guided single shot epidural anaesthesia--a retrospective analysis of 20 cases.

Aim: To retrospectively describe the performance of ultrasound guided thoracic epidural anaesthesia under sedation for anaesthesia management of open pyloromyotomy.

Background: Anaesthesia management for hypertrophic pylorus stenosis (HPS) is usually performed under general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation. Only a few publications describe avoidance of tracheal intubation in infants by using spinal or caudal anaesthesia.