TAOK3, a novel genome-wide association study locus associated with morphine requirement and postoperative pain in a retrospective pediatric day surgery population.

Candidate gene studies have revealed limited genetic bases for opioid analgesic response variability. Genome-wide association studies facilitate impartial queries of common genetic variants, allowing identification of novel genetic contributions to drug effect. Illumina (Illumina Inc, San Diego, CA, USA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays were used to investigate SNP associations with total morphine requirement as a quantitative trait locus and with postoperative pain in a retrospective population of opioid-naïve children ages 4-18years who had undergone day surgery tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

Evaluation of central venous pressure monitoring in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery.

Background: Massive hemorrhage during craniofacial surgery is common and often results in hypovolemia and hypotension. We conducted this study to assess the effect of the addition of routine central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring on the incidence of intraoperative hypotension and to evaluate the relationship between CVP and hypotension in this population.

Methods: Data from our prospective craniofacial perioperative registry for children 6 to 24 months of age undergoing cranial vault reconstruction with CVP monitoring were compared with data from a historical cohort without CVP monitoring.

Absence of tachycardia during hypotension in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery.

Background: Tachycardia is a baroreceptor-mediated response to hypotension. Heart rate (HR) behavior in the setting of hypotension in anesthetized children is not well characterized. We conducted this study to assess the relationship between HR and hypotension in a population of anesthetized children experiencing massive blood loss.

Perioperative morbidity in posterior cranial vault expansion: distraction osteogenesis versus conventional osteotomy.

Background: The treatment of multisuture syndromic craniosynostosis is in evolution, with an increasing prevalence of reports on posterior vault expansion with distraction osteogenesis over conventional osteotomy. The purported benefits of distraction osteogenesis include less perioperative morbidity. The authors conducted this preliminary study to compare the perioperative course in children undergoing posterior cranial vault expansion with distraction osteogenesis versus conventional osteotomy.

A prospective randomized equivalence trial of the GlideScope Cobalt® video laryngoscope to traditional direct laryngoscopy in neonates and infants.

Background: Intubation in children is increasingly performed using video laryngoscopes. Many pediatric studies examine novice laryngoscopists or describe single patient experiences. This prospective randomized nonblinded equivalence trial compares intubation time for the GlideScope Cobalt® video laryngoscope (GCV, Verathon Medical, Bothell, WA) with direct laryngoscopy with a Miller blade (DL, Heine, Dover, NH) in anatomically normal neonates and infants.

Is the pleth variability index a surrogate for pulse pressure variation in a pediatric population undergoing spine fusion?

Objective: To compare simultaneous measurements of pulse pressure variation (PPV) and pleth variability index (PVI) in patients undergoing spinal fusion.

Aims: To determine if PVI can be used as a surrogate for PPV and also the influence of the prone position on these measurements.

Background: Spine fusion is an involved surgical procedure requiring attention to fluid administration.

Reconstituted blood reduces blood donor exposures in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery.

Objective/aims: To assess the effect of prophylactic administration of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) in the form of reconstituted blood in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction. The outcomes of interest included immediate postoperative coagulation laboratory test results, postoperative surgical drain output, and the number of unique blood donor exposures incurred.

Background: We recently changed our intraoperative transfusion strategy in children undergoing craniofacial reconstruction surgery to one in which blood loss is replaced with donor-matched reconstituted blood rather than traditional blood component therapy.

Bradycardia during induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane in children with Down syndrome.

Background: Bradycardia is a complication associated with inhaled induction of anesthesia with halothane in children with Down syndrome. Although bradycardia has been reported after anesthetic induction with sevoflurane in these children, the incidence is unknown.

Objectives: In this study we compared the incidence and characteristics of bradycardia after induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane in children with Down syndrome to healthy controls.