Evaluation of a Protocol for the Management of Maintenance and Reversal of Rocuronium Block Using Neostigmine or Sugammadex.

Background: Postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade (PRNB) is defined as an adductor pollicis train-of-four ratio (TOFR) <0.9. It is a common postoperative complication when nondepolarizing muscle relaxants are either not reversed or reversed with neostigmine.

Management of Muscle Relaxation With Rocuronium and Reversal With Neostigmine or Sugammadex Guided by Quantitative Neuromuscular Monitoring.

Background: The optimal pharmacological reversal strategy for neuromuscular blockade remains undefined even in the setting of strong recommendations for quantitative neuromuscular monitoring by several national and international anesthesiology societies. We evaluated a protocol for managing rocuronium blockade and reversal, using quantitative monitoring to guide choice of reversal agent and to confirm full reversal before extubation.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study and enrolled 200 patients scheduled for elective surgery involving the intraoperative use of rocuronium.

A case of rapid progression of postoperative hyperthermia: Dantrolene or not dilemma?

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an extremely rare and life-threatening differential diagnosis of postoperative fever. We present an 8-month-old child scheduled for elective outpatient procedure who rapidly developed high fever, tachycardia, and respiratory acidosis shortly after transfer to the postanesthesia care unit. MH hotline expert recommended administering dantrolene, but there was no evidence of hypermetabolism or lactic acidosis.

Qualitative Neuromuscular Monitoring: How to Optimize the Use of a Peripheral Nerve Stimulator to Reduce the Risk of Residual Neuromuscular Blockade.

This review provides recommendations for anesthesia providers who may not yet have quantitative monitoring and sugammadex available and thus are providing care within the limitations of a conventional peripheral nerve stimulator (PNS) and neostigmine. In order to achieve best results, the provider needs to understand the limitations of the PNS. The PNS should be applied properly and early.

Postoperative sciatic and femoral or saphenous nerve blockade for lower extremity surgery in anesthetized adults.

Background: Guidelines warn of increased risks of injury when placing regional nerve blocks in the anesthetized adult but complications occurred in patients that received neither sedation nor local anesthetic. This restriction of nerve block administration places vulnerable categories of patients at risk of severe opioid induced side effects. Patient and operative technical factors can preclude use of preoperative regional anesthesia.

Ventilation by mask before and after the administration of neuromuscular blockade: a pragmatic non-inferiority trial.

Background: Test ventilating prior to administration of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) in order to avoid a cannot intubate-cannot ventilate situation is a classic anesthesia teaching. The primary aim of our study was to show that facemask ventilation (FMV) after NMB was not inferior to FMV prior to NMB with respect to exhaled gas volumes before and after their administration.

Methods: This study was approved by the University of Washington Human Subjects Division (Seattle, Washington, USA).

Comparison of train-of-four count by anesthesia providers versus TOF-Watch® SX: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Qualitative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade using the train-of-four (TOF) count is widely used to determine the timing and dose of reversal agents for neuromuscular blockade. We compared TOF count measured manually by anesthesia providers with that determined by TOF-Watch® SX.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included patients who were American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status III or less and undergoing elective surgery.

Extraglottic airway devices: A review.

Extraglottic airway devices (EAD) have become an integral part of anesthetic care since their introduction into clinical practice 25 years ago and have been used safely hundreds of millions of times, worldwide. They are an important first option for difficult ventilation during both in-hospital and out-of-hospital difficult airway management and can be utilized as a conduit for tracheal intubation either blindly or assisted by another technology (fiberoptic endoscopy, lightwand). Thus, the EAD may be the most versatile single airway technique in the airway management toolbox.

Pediatric airway management.

Securing an airway is a vital task for the anesthesiologist. The pediatric patients have significant anatomical and physiological differences compared with adults, which impact on the techniques and tools that the anesthesiologist might choose to provide safe and effective control of the airway. Furthermore, there are a number of pathological processes, typically seen in the pediatric population, which present unique anatomical or functional difficulties in airway management.

Rapid-sequence intubation and cricoid pressure.

Airway management is the most important clinical skill for anesthesiologist, emergency physician, and other providers who are involved in oxygenation and ventilation of the lungs. Rapid-sequence intubation is the preferred method to secure airway in patients who are at risk for aspiration because it results in rapid unconsciousness (induction) and neuromuscular blockade (paralysis). Application of cricoid pressure (CP) for patients undergoing rapid-sequence intubation is controversial.

Perioperative and intensive care management of pediatric tracheal tear.

Management of tracheal tears can prove to be challenging in the perioperative setting. This is a rare condition that can be life threatening. Here, we present a case of seven-year-old boy involved in a high-speed motor vehicle collision.

Operating room fires: a closed claims analysis.

Background: To assess patterns of injury and liability associated with operating room (OR) fires, closed malpractice claims in the American Society of Anesthesiologists Closed Claims Database since 1985 were reviewed.

Methods: All claims related to fires in the OR were compared with nonfire-related surgical anesthesia claims. An analysis of fire-related claims was performed to identify causative factors.

Sedation and analgesia for the pediatric trauma patients.

The number of children requiring sedation and analgesia for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures has increased substantially in the last decade. Both anesthesiologist and non-anesthesiologists are involved in varying settings outside the operating room to provide safe and effective sedation and analgesia. Procedural sedation has become standard of care and its primary aim is managing acute anxiety, pain, and control of movement during painful or unpleasant procedures.

Perioperative management of pediatric trauma patients.

Pediatric trauma presents significant challenges to the anesthesia provider.This review describes the current trends in perioperative anesthetic management, including airway management, choice of anesthesia agents, and fluid administration.The review is based on the PubMed search of literature on perioperative care of severely injured children.

Vascular access, fluid resuscitation, and blood transfusion in pediatric trauma.

Trauma care in the general population has largely become protocol-driven, with an emphasis on fast and efficient treatment, good team communication at all levels of care including prehospital care, initial resuscitation, intensive care, and rehabilitation. Most available literature on trauma care has focused on adults, allowing the potential to apply concepts from adult care to pediatric care. But there remain issues that will always be specific to pediatric patients that may not translate from adults.

Pediatric burn injuries.

Pediatric burns comprise a major mechanism of injury, affecting millions of children worldwide, with causes including scald injury, fire injury, and child abuse. Burn injuries tend to be classified based on the total body surface area involved and the depth of injury. Large burn injuries have multisystemic manifestations, including injuries to all major organ systems, requiring close supportive and therapeutic measures.

Initial assessment and management of pediatric trauma patients.

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children. Each year, almost one in six children in the United States require emergency department (ED) care for the treatment of injuries, and more than 10,000 children die from injuries. Severely injured children need to be transported to a facility that is staffed 24/7 by personnel experienced in the management of children, and that has all the appropriate equipment to diagnose and manage injuries in children.

Intraoperative neuromuscular monitoring site and residual paralysis.

Background: Residual paralysis is common after general anesthesia involving administration of neuromuscular blocking drugs (NMBDs). Management of NMBDs and reversal is frequently guided by train-of-four (TOF) monitoring. We hypothesized that monitoring of eye muscles is associated with more frequent residual paralysis than monitoring at the adductor pollicis.

Propofol infusion syndrome in a super morbidly obese patient (BMI = 75).

Propofol infusion syndrome (PRIS) is a rare but often fatal complication as a result of large doses of propofol infusion (4-5 mg/kg/hr) for a prolonged period (>48 h). It has been reported in both children and adults. Besides large doses of propofol infusion, the risk factors include young age, acute neurological injury, low carbohydrate and high fat intake, exogenous administration of corticosteroid and catecholamine, critical illness, and inborn errors of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.

Trends in trauma transfusion.

Trauma is the leading cause of death in young adults and acute blood loss contributes to a large portion of mortality in the early post-trauma period. The recognition of lethal triad of coagulopathy, hypothermia and acidosis has led to the concepts of damage control surgery and resuscitation. Recent experience with managing polytrauma victims from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has led to a few significant changes in clinical practice.

Pediatric procedural sedation and analgesia outside the operating room: anticipating, avoiding and managing complications.

In the new millennium, there has been a huge surge in the numbers of procedures performed under sedation in pediatric patients outside the operating room. Traditionally, these were performed by anesthesiologists. Increasingly, other specialists, such as emergency room physicians, pediatricians and radiologists, are involved in the management of procedural sedations under elective or emergency situations.

Analgesia and sedation for children undergoing burn wound care.

Standard care of burn wounds consists of cleaning and debridement (removing devitalized tissue), followed by daily dressing changes. Children with burns undergo multiple, painful and anxiety-provoking procedures during wound care and rehabilitation. The goal of procedural sedation is safe and efficacious management of pain and emotional distress, requiring a careful and systematic approach.

Anesthesia-related cardiac arrest in children with heart disease: data from the Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest (POCA) registry.

Background: From 1994 to 2005, the Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest Registry collected data on 373 anesthesia-related cardiac arrests (CAs) in children, 34% of whom had congenital or acquired heart disease (HD).

Methods: Nearly 80 North American institutions that provide anesthesia for children voluntarily enrolled in the Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest Registry. A standardized data form for each perioperative CA in children 18 years old or younger was submitted anonymously.