Dexmedetomidine Decreases Postoperative Pain and Narcotic Use in Children Undergoing Alveolar Bone Graft Surgery.

Objective: Dexmedetomidine is a parenteral agent that combines the benefits of cooperative sedation, anxiolysis, and analgesia without the risks of respiratory depression. Off-label use has been reported in children. We have introduced dexmedetomidine for use in patients having undergone alveolar bone graft (ABG).

Pediatric outcomes data collection instrument scores in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy: an analysis by age groups and severity level.

Background: The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) was developed in 1994 as a patient-based tool for use across a broad age range and wide array of musculoskeletal disorders, including children with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to establish means and SDs of the Parent PODCI measures by age groups and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels for ambulatory children with CP.

Methods: This instrument was one of several studied in a prospective, multicenter project of ambulatory patients with CP between the aged 4 and 18 years and GMFCS levels I through III.

Relationships among functional outcome measures used for assessing children with ambulatory CP.

In ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP), practitioners often examine outcomes using measures related to functions necessary for daily life. The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) Dimensions D and E, Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) Parent and Child versions, Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) Walking subscale, Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), temporal-spatial gait parameters, and O(2) cost during ambulation were selected for study. Cross-sectional data were collected in a prospective multicenter study of 562 participants with CP (339 males, 223 females), between 4 and 18 years of age (mean age 11y 1mo).