Effect of pre-operative oral paracetamol on gastric residual volume and pH in young children in the context of a 1-hour clear fluid fast: a randomised controlled trial.

High gastric residual volume and low pH are associated with increased mortality following pulmonary aspiration in animal studies. The use of pre-operative oral paracetamol has not been investigated in younger children and infants in the context of a prescriptive 1-h clear fluid fast aimed at reducing the risk of pulmonary aspiration while improving patient experience. Children aged 1 month up to a weight of 25 kg and scheduled for elective surgery were randomly allocated to receive a prescribed 3.

Ancillary Findings on CT Pulmonary Angiograms that are Negative for Pulmonary Embolism.

Context: One advantage of computed tomographic pulmonary angiograms (CTPA) is that they often show pathology in patients in whom pulmonary embolism (PE) has been excluded. In this investigation, we identified the ancillary findings on CTPAs that were negative for PE to obtain an impression of the type of findings shown.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of findings on CTPAs that were negative for PE obtained in nine emergency departments between January 2016 - February 2018.

A 2-year-old with a hepatic abscess secondary to an ascending retrocecal appendicitis: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Diagnosing appendicitis within the pediatric population can be challenging, whether it be a neonate with irritability or a toddler with flank pain. Symptoms may mimic a viral illness, constipation, urinary tract infection, or intussusception, all of which are more common in this age group when compared with appendicitis. While a ruptured appendicitis can result in an intra-abdominal abscess, peritonitis, and/or shock, the development of a pyogenic hepatic abscess is extremely rare.

Agreement between lower esophageal and nasopharyngeal temperatures in children ventilated with an endotracheal tube with leak.

Background: A temperature probe placed in the lower third of the esophagus accurately reflects core temperature in anesthetized children. Temperature probes are commonly placed in the nasopharynx in children, but when utilizing an uncuffed endotracheal tube (ETT) with a softly audible leak, ventilated gases from the trachea can escape upwards toward the nasopharynx, thereby potentially causing a cooling effect in the nasopharynx.

Objectives: We sought to establish if nasopharyngeal and lower esophageal temperatures are in agreement in children undergoing general anesthesia, both in scenarios of ventilation with a cuffed ETT that has minimal or no leak (cuff up), as well as an ETT with leak (cuff down).

SANS study of highly resilient poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels.

Polymer networks are critically important for numerous applications including soft biomaterials, adhesives, coatings, elastomers, and gel-based materials for energy storage. One long-standing challenge these materials present lies in understanding the role of network defects, such as dangling ends and loops, developed during cross-linking. These defects can negatively impact the physical, mechanical, and transport properties of the gel.