Heart rate response to a caudal block in children anesthetized with sevoflurane after ultrasound confirmation of placement.

Introduction: Previous studies identified decreasing heart rate (HR) as a predictor of successful caudal placement in children using halothane and isoflurane. No changes were found in HR in the one study using sevoflurane. We documented HR changes in children following a caudal block during sevoflurane anesthesia utilizing ultrasound to confirm successful caudal placement.

Laryngeal mask airway placement in children prior to an intravenous line utilizing heart rate as an indicator of anesthetic depth.

Introduction: The usual practice in pediatric anesthesia cases requiring a laryngeal mask airway is to place an intravenous line (IV) prior to laryngeal mask airway placement. A different approach that has several clinical advantages is to place the laryngeal mask airway prior to the IV. We describe our experience with this technique, using heart rate as an indicator of adequate anesthetic depth.