Pain relief after transversus abdominis plane block for abdominal surgery in children: a service evaluation.

We carried out a prospective service evaluation of the quality of pain control after preoperative transverse abdominis plane (TAP) block in 100 children undergoing abdominal surgery. Data were collected on type of procedure, age, weight, level of the block, local anesthetic used, additional analgesia, and hourly pain scores. Of the 100 patients, 87 were included in the evaluation, 77% of who were less than 1 year old.

Anaesthetic considerations in paediatric myasthenia gravis.

Myasthenia gravis is of particular interest to anaesthetists because of the muscle groups affected, the pharmacology of the neuromuscular junction, and interaction of both the disease and treatment with many anaesthetic drugs. Anaesthetists may encounter children with myasthenia either to facilitate treatment options or to institute mechanical ventilation in the face of a crisis. This paper reviews the literature pertaining to the pathophysiology and applied pharmacology of the disease and explores the relationship between these and the anaesthetic management.