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Research
Early life predictors of obstructive sleep apnoea in young adults: Insights from a longitudinal community cohort (Raine study)Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases the risk of perioperative adverse events in children. While polysomnography (PSG) remains the reference standard for OSA diagnosis, oximetry is a valuable screening tool. The traditional practice is the manual analysis of desaturation clusters derived from a tabletop device using the McGill oximetry score. However, automated analysis of wearable oximetry data can be an alternative. This study investigated the accuracy of wrist-worn oximetry with automated analysis as a preoperative OSA screening tool.
Research
What’s inside the box? Or shall we think outside the box?With the deadly and highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, there is global concern about the danger of contaminating healthcare workers (HCW), particularly during airway management of infected patients.
Research
Perioperative pediatric tonsillectomy analgesia: A single-center review of practice and cost-effectiveness analysisTonsillectomy is one of the most common pediatric surgeries and results in considerable postoperative pain. Insufficiently managed pain is costly, risks physiological and psychological consequences with multi-modal analgesia widely recommended to minimize opioid-based agents. We determined adherence to multi-modal analgesia guidelines and assessed cost-effectiveness. We undertook a cross-sectional cohort study at a tertiary pediatric institution in Perth, Western Australia, retrospectively identifying selected patients undergoing tonsillectomy over two discrete periods of 6-week duration.
Research
Prenatal Exposure to General Anesthesia and Childhood Behavioral DeficitExposure to surgery and anesthesia in early childhood has been found to be associated with an increased risk of behavioral deficits. While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against prenatal exposure to anesthetic drugs, little clinical evidence exists to support this recommendation. This study evaluates the association between prenatal exposure to general anesthesia due to maternal procedures during pregnancy and neuropsychological and behavioral outcome scores at age 10.
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Feasibility of upper airway collapsibility measurements in anesthetized childrenPatients with a propensity for upper airway obstruction, including those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are vulnerable in the perioperative period. OSA is an increasingly common disorder in children and, when present, is associated with an increased risk of perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAE),1 morbidity, and mortality. Therefore, identifying at-risk patients is vital to provide tailored perioperative anesthetic management.
Research
Direct versus video laryngoscopy with standard blades for neonatal and infant tracheal intubation with supplemental oxygen: a multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trialTracheal intubation in neonates and infants is a potentially life-saving procedure. Video laryngoscopy has been found to improve first-attempt tracheal intubation success and reduce complications compared with direct laryngoscopy in children younger than 12 months.
Research
Risk assessment and optimization strategies to reduce perioperative respiratory adverse events in Pediatric Anesthesia—Part 2: Anesthesia-related risk and treatment optionsPerioperative respiratory adverse events are the most common cause of critical events in children undergoing anesthesia and surgery. While many risk factors remain unmodifiable, there are numerous anesthetic management decisions which can impact the incidence and impact of these events, especially in at-risk children.
News & Events
Paediatric anaesthetist named a WA Young Tall PoppyA leading paediatric anaesthetist and researcher focused on making anaesthesia safer and more comfortable for children has been named a 2022 Western Australian Young Tall Poppy.
Research
Mode of delivery and behavioral and neuropsychological outcomes in children at 10 years of agePrevious studies have reported that mode of delivery, particularly cesarean delivery is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. This study evaluates behavioral and neuropsychological test scores in children based on mode of delivery.
The Perioperative Medicine team has developed a unique chewable tablet that gives the child the sensation of having a full stomach, without compromising their fasting regime.