Ambulatory pediatric adenotonsillectomy.

Purpose: This Continuing Professional Development module aims to help the general anesthesiologist recognize common pitfalls in ambulatory pediatric adenotonsillectomy and perform appropriate risk stratification, analgesic management, and disposition planning.

Principal Findings: Pediatric adenotonsillectomy is a widely performed procedure. An updated approach to preoperative risk assessment of commonly associated comorbidities allows the practitioner to anticipate and plan for adverse events.

Does Celecoxib Prescription for Pain Management Affect Post-tonsillectomy Hemorrhage Requiring Surgery? A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Adenotonsillectomy and tonsillectomy (referred to as tonsillectomy hereafter) are common pediatric surgeries. Postoperative complications include hemorrhage requiring surgery (2 to 3% of cases) and pain. Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly administered for postsurgical pain, controversy exists regarding bleeding risk with cyclooxygenase-1 inhibition and associated platelet dysfunction.

Canadian tertiary care pediatric massive hemorrhage protocols: a survey and comprehensive national review.

Purpose: Hemorrhage is the leading cause of pediatric death in trauma and cardiac arrest during surgery. Adult studies report improved patient outcomes using massive hemorrhage protocols (MHPs). Little is known about pediatric MHP adoption in Canada.

Error traps in Pediatric Patient Blood Management in the Perioperative Period.

Patient blood management is a patient-centered evidence-based approach to improve patient outcomes by harnessing the patient's own hematopoietic system to optimize blood health while promoting patient safety and empowerment. Perioperative patient blood management is a standard of care in adult medicine, yet it is not commonly accepted in pediatrics. Raising awareness may be the first step in improving perioperative care for the anemic and/or bleeding child.

Modeling adult COX-2 cerebrospinal fluid pharmacokinetics to inform pediatric investigation.

Aim: Hysteresis is reported between plasma concentration and analgesic effect from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is possible that the temporal delay between plasma and CSF nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs mirrors this hysteresis. The temporal relationship between plasma and CSF concentrations of COX-inhibitors (celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib) has been described.

Opioid dose and postoperative respiratory adverse events after adenotonsillectomy in medically complex children.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing is commonly treated with adenotonsillectomy. Our study objective was to describe perioperative opioid dosing in children with a range of medical complexity evaluated for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing undergoing adenotonsillectomy and to investigate its association with postoperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs).

Methods: A retrospective chart review of children who underwent adenotonsillectomy and had preoperative polysomnography performed was conducted.

Risk factors for respiratory adverse events after adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy in children with down syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.

Unlabelled: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a major cause of morbidity in the Down syndrome population and is commonly treated with adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy (AT). However, these children are at increased risk for perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). The objective of this study was to examine risk factors for major PRAEs requiring intervention in children with Down syndrome undergoing AT and to describe their postoperative monitoring environment.

Development of Pediatric Hospital Position Statements on Medical and Non-Prescribed Cannabis.

The pediatric demand for medical cannabis has been increasing. This has necessitated the need to develop hospital statements and policies at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to provide clinicians and administrators with recommendations for working with patients and caregivers seeking the use of prescribed or non-prescribed cannabis. Through a structured working group, two hospital position statements and policies on the pediatric use of medical and non-prescribed cannabis were developed for patients served at CHEO.

Geographic disparities in performance of pediatric polysomnography to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in a universal access health care system.

Background: Diagnostic polysomnography (PSG) is recommended prior to adenotonsillectomy (AT) for children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and certain high-risk characteristics, but resource limitations often prevent this practice.

Objective: We performed a population-based assessment of children across Ontario, Canada to describe and quantify disparities in PSG.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective cohort study was performed using provincial health administrative data held at ICES.

Polysomnography parameters as predictors of respiratory adverse events following adenotonsillectomy in children.

Study Objectives: The first-line treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children is adenotonsillectomy, but this may result in perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). The primary aim of this study is to examine whether the McGill oximetry score (MOS) and other polysomnography parameters can predict major PRAEs following adenotonsillectomy. We secondarily evaluated the MOS interrater reliability and correlation with other polysomnography parameters.

Creating enriched training sets of eligible studies for large systematic reviews: the utility of PubMed's Best Match algorithm.

Introduction: Solutions like crowd screening and machine learning can assist systematic reviewers with heavy screening burdens but require training sets containing a mix of eligible and ineligible studies. This study explores using PubMed's Best Match algorithm to create small training sets containing at least five relevant studies.

Methods: Six systematic reviews were examined retrospectively.

Predictors of postoperative respiratory complications in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly treated with adenotonsillectomy (AT), bringing risk of perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). We aimed to concurrently identify clinical and polysomnographic predictors of PRAEs in children undergoing AT.

Methods: Retrospective study of children undergoing AT at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital, with prior in-hospital polysomnography, January 2010 to December 2016.

A regional massive hemorrhage protocol developed through a modified Delphi technique.

Background: A massive hemorrhage protocol (MHP) enables rapid delivery of blood components in a patient who is exsanguinating pending definitive hemorrhage control, but there is variability in MHP implementation rates, content and compliance owing to challenges presented by infrequent activation, variable team performance and patient acuity. The goal of this project was to identify the key evidence-based principles and quality indicators required to develop a standardized regional MHP.

Methods: A modified Delphi consensus technique was performed in the spring and summer of 2018.

Crowdsourcing the Citation Screening Process for Systematic Reviews: Validation Study.

Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) are often cited as the highest level of evidence available as they involve the identification and synthesis of published studies on a topic. Unfortunately, it is increasingly challenging for small teams to complete SR procedures in a reasonable time period, given the exponential rise in the volume of primary literature. Crowdsourcing has been postulated as a potential solution.

Research Needs Assessment for Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Diagnostic or Surgical Procedures.

Recent concerns have been raised about the quality and safety of adenotonsillectomy, a common surgery performed to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. OSA is a risk factor for opioid-related perioperative respiratory complications including those associated with anoxic brain injury or death. Our objective was to identify controversial issues related to the care of children with OSA.

The impact of electronic consultation on a Canadian tertiary care pediatric specialty referral system: A prospective single-center observational study.

Background: Champlain BASE™ (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) is a web-based asynchronous electronic communication service that allows primary-care- practitioners (PCPs) to submit "elective" clinical questions to a specialist. For adults, PCPs have reported improved access and timeliness to specialist advice, averted face-to-face specialist referrals in up to 40% of cases and high provider satisfaction.

Objective: To determine whether the expansion of eConsult to a pediatric setting would result in similar measures of improved healthcare system process and high provider acceptance reported in adults.

Use of Electronic Consultation System to Improve Access to Care in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

Background: Electronic consultations (eConsult) allow for communication between primary care providers and specialists in an asynchronous manner. This study examined provider satisfaction, topics of interest, and efficiency of eConsult in pediatric hematology/oncology in Ottawa, Canada.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of all eConsult cases directed to pediatric hematology/oncology specialists using the Champlain BASE (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) eConsult service from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2016.

Pediatric tonsillectomy is a resource-intensive procedure: a study of Canadian health administrative data.

Background: The majority of pediatric surgeries are performed in a day surgery setting. The rate of adverse postoperative outcomes and the factors that influence them are poorly described in the Canadian setting. Concerns about the safety of adenotonsillectomy (AT) have been raised.

Celecoxib pharmacogenetics and pediatric adenotonsillectomy: a double-blinded randomized controlled study.

Background: Pediatric adenotonsillectomy (A&T) is associated with prolonged pain and functional limitation. Celecoxib is an effective analgesic in adult surgery patients; however, its analgesic efficacy on pain and functional recovery in pediatric A&T patients is unknown.

Methods: During 2009-2012, children (age 2-18 yr) scheduled for elective A&T were enrolled in a single-centre double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Safety-engineered intravenous catheter utilization among Canadian pediatric anesthesiologists.

Introduction: Compared with other specialties, anesthesiologists are at increased risk of acquiring a blood-borne pathogen (BBP) through needle-stick injuries (NSIs). Safety-engineered intravenous catheters (SEICs) have been designed to reduce NSIs but have not been well received. Our objective was to determine SEIC usage by pediatric anesthesiologists, including availability, utilization, perceived utility, and sources of NSI before and after legislation mandating their use in Canada.

Does neck-to-waist ratio predict obstructive sleep apnea in children?

Objectives: Central adiposity and large neck circumference are associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults but have not been evaluated in children as predictors of OSA. Study objectives were to determine whether (1) anthropometric measures including neck-to-waist ratio are associated with OSA in older children; (2) body fat distribution, measured by neck-to-waist ratio, is predictive of OSA in overweight/obese children.

Methods: Cross-sectional study involving children 7-18 years scheduled to undergo polysomnography at a tertiary care children's hospital.