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Sedation versus General Anesthesia for Tracheal Intubation in Children with Difficult Airways: A Cohort Study from the Pediatric Difficult Intubation RegistrySedated and awake tracheal intubation approaches are considered safest in adults with difficult airways, but little is known about the outcomes of sedated intubations in children. The primary aim of this study was to compare the first-attempt success rate of tracheal intubation during sedated tracheal intubation versus tracheal intubation under general anesthesia. The hypothesis was that sedated intubation would be associated with a lower first-attempt success rate and more complications than general anesthesia.
Research
A review of pediatric fasting guidelines and strategies to help children manage preoperative fastingFasting for surgery is a routine step in the preoperative preparation for surgery. There have however been increasing concerns with regard to the high incidence of prolonged fasting in children, and the subsequent psycho-social distress and physiological consequences that this poses.
Research
Patient positioning and its impact on perioperative outcomes in children: A narrative reviewPatient positioning interacts with a number of body systems and can impact clinically important perioperative outcomes. In this educational review, we present the available evidence on the impact that patient positioning can have in the pediatric perioperative setting. A literature search was conducted using search terms that focused on pediatric perioperative outcomes prioritized by contemporary research in this area.
Research
Difficult intubation in syndromic versus nonsyndromic forms of micrognathia in childrenWe investigated how syndromic versus nonsyndromic forms of micrognathia impacted difficult intubation outcomes in children. Primary outcome was the first-attempt success rate of tracheal intubation, secondary outcomes were number of intubation attempts and complications. We hypothesized that syndromic micrognathia would be associated with lower first-attempt success rate.
Research
Effect of different lung recruitment strategies and airway device on oscillatory mechanics in children under general anaesthesiaAtelectasis has been reported in 68 to 100% of children undergoing general anaesthesia, a phenomenon that persists into the recovery period. Children receiving recruitment manoeuvres have less atelectasis and fewer episodes of oxygen desaturation during emergence. The optimal type of recruitment manoeuvre is unclear and may be influenced by the airway device chosen.

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Anaesthesia, suicide prevention and rare disease research supported by Telethon 2022The generous support of West Australians through Channel 7’s Telethon Trust will help support vital child health research at The Kids Research Institute Australia in 2023.
Research
"Cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate": A novel 2-operator technique for cannula tracheotomy in an infant animal model-a feasibility studyEvidence regarding optimal management of the "Cannot Intubate, Cannot Oxygenate" (CICO) scenario in infants is scarce. When inserting a transtracheal cannula for front of neck access direct aspiration to confirm intratracheal location is standard practice.
Research
Impact of a revised postoperative care plan on pain and recovery trajectory following pediatric tonsillectomyA previous cohort of adenotonsillectomy patients at our institution demonstrated moderate-severe post-tonsillectomy pain scores lasting a median (range) duration of 6 (0-23) days and postdischarge nausea and vomiting affecting 8% of children on day 1 following surgery. In this subsequent cohort, we evaluate the impact of changes to our discharge medication and parental education on post-tonsillectomy pain and recovery profile.
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The impact of surgical cancellations on children, families, and the health system in an Australian paediatric tertiary referral hospitalReasons for elective surgery cancelations and their impact vary from one institution to another. Cancelations have emotional and financial implications for patients and their families. Our service has a particularly broad and geographically diverse patient population; hence, we sought to examine these impacts in our service.
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Risk assessment and optimization strategies to reduce perioperative respiratory adverse events in pediatric anesthesia—Part 1 patient and surgical factorsPediatric surgery cases are increasing worldwide. Within pediatric anesthesia, perioperative respiratory adverse events are the most common precipitant leading to serious complications.