Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Cervical Paraspinal Interfascial Plane Block for Postoperative Pain after Pediatric Chiari Decompression.

Background: Surgery for lesions of the posterior fossa is associated with significant postoperative pain in pediatric patients related to extensive manipulation of the suboccipital musculature and bone. In this study, we assess the preliminary safety, effect on neuromonitoring, and analgesic efficacy of applying a cervical paraspinal interfascial plane block in pediatric patients undergoing posterior fossa surgery.

Methods: In this prospective case series, we enrolled five patients aged 2-18 years undergoing surgery for symptomatic Chiari type I malformation.

Feasibility and Analgesic Efficacy of Thoracolumbar Dorsal Ramus Nerve Block Using Multiorifice Pain Catheters for Scoliosis Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Approximately 38,000 scoliosis surgery correction operations are performed annually in the United States; these operations are associated with considerable postoperative pain which can be difficult to manage. This is largely attributed to an incision spanning multiple vertebral segments with paraspinal muscle dissection and retraction to facilitate the implantation of segmental hardware and rods. Frequently utilized analgesic modalities include intravenous patient-controlled analgesia and epidural analgesia, often in combination.

Perioperative use of glucose containing solutions in infants less than 6 months of age: A clinical practice survey among US academic centers.

Background: Although there is a wide breadth of literature on glucose homeostasis in infants, standardization of perioperative hypoglycemia diagnosis and management is lacking.

Aims: Survey of academic pediatric anesthesiology departments across the USA to evaluate institutional policies regarding the perioperative use of glucose containing solutions in infants less than 6 months of age.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 20 United States university affiliated academic pediatric anesthesiology departments.

Failed Emergence After Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: Is Propofol-Related Infusion Syndrome to Blame?

Propofol infusion syndrome was first reported in the literature by Bray in 1998. He described a series of fatal outcomes after a presenting constellation of symptoms observed in pediatric patients who had received prolonged propofol infusions. Profound metabolic acidosis and bradycardia are the disease's hallmark features, which can further develop expeditiously to rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, and heart failure.

Anesthetic Management of a Patient with Harlequin Ichthyosis.

Harlequin ichthyosis is a severe and often fatal form of congenital ichthyosis caused by defective lipid transport which results in a dysfunctional skin barrier. Patients who survive the neonatal period are predisposed to skin infections, sepsis, impaired thermoregulation, and dehydration. The unique skin characteristics can present significant anesthetic challenges.

Development of a new biochip array for APOE4 classification from plasma samples using immunoassay-based methods.

Background: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is a key player in lipid transport and metabolism and exists in three common isoforms: APOE2, APOE3 and APOE4. The presence of the E4 allelic variant is recognized as a major genetic risk factor for dementia and other chronic (neuro)degenerative diseases. The availability of a validated assay for rapid and reliable APOE4 classification is therefore advantageous.

Anesthesia induction, emergence, and postoperative behaviors in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.

Background/aim: Given the increasing prevalence of attention-deficit and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), anesthesiologists are now presented with a greater number of children who are diagnosed with these conditions. This prospective, observational study was designed to compare anesthesia induction, emergence, and postoperative behaviors in children with and without ADHD.

Methods/materials: The sample included 268 children, 4-17 years of age undergoing elective surgery with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD.

Derivation and validation of a simple perioperative sleep apnea prediction score.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a largely underdiagnosed, common condition, which is important to diagnose preoperatively because it has implications for perioperative management. Our purpose in this study was to identify independent clinical predictors of a diagnosis of OSA in a general surgical population, develop a perioperative sleep apnea prediction (P-SAP) score based on these variables, and validate the P-SAP score against standard overnight polysomnography.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study was designed to identify patients with a known diagnosis of OSA.