Effect of forced-air warming by an underbody blanket on end-of-surgery hypothermia: a propensity score-matched analysis of 5063 patients

Abstract Background Underbody blankets have recently been launched and are used by anesthesiologists for surgical patients. However, the forced-air warming effect of underbody blankets is still controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of forced-air warming by an underbody blanket on body temperature in anesthetized patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 5063 surgical patients. We used propensity score matching to reduce the bias caused by a lack of randomization. After propensity score matching, the change in body temperature from before to after surgery was compared between patients who used underbody blankets (Under group) and those who used other types of warming blankets (Control group). The incidence of hypothermia (i.e., body temperature < 36.0 °C at the end of surgery) was compared between the two groups. A p value < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results We obtained 489 propensity score-matched pairs of patients from the two groups, of whom 33 and 63 had hypothermia in the Under and Control groups, respectively (odds ratio: 0.49, 95% confidence interval: 0.31–0.76, p = 0.0013). Conclusions The present study suggests that the underbody blanket may help reduce the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia and may be more efficient in warming anesthetized patients compared with other types of warming blankets. Trial registration UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (Identifier: UMIN000022909; retrospectively registered on June 27, 2016)

Use of remifentanil in general anesthesia for neonatal non-cardiac surgery: a case series

Abstract Objective This case series aimed to summarize our experience in usage of remifentanil in neonates undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Background Physiology of neonates and infants is different from that of adults. Immaturity of their vital organ systems narrows a safety margin of perioperative management including anesthesia. Remifentanil has favorable characteristics for pediatrics such as short duration of action and rapid elimination. Although remifentanil was introduced into clinical practice since 1996, its application to neonatal anesthesia has not been validated yet. Methods This is a 14-month retrospective case series of neonates receiving remifentanil during non-cardiac surgery at a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Japan. Patients’ characteristics, intraoperative data, and complications were retrieved from medical records. Results A total of 68 neonates underwent non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia, of whom 48 received remifentanil. Infusion rate was 0.14 (0.04–0.35) mcg/kg/min (median, range). No intractable adverse events including postoperative apnea were detected. Conclusion Remifentanil is generally feasible to neonatal surgical population

Factors affecting extubation time following pediatric ambulatory surgery: an analysis using electronic anesthesia records from an academic university hospital

Abstract Background In pediatric general anesthesia, our goal should be quicker extubation to facilitate rapid turnover in the operating room without compromising on safety and quality of anesthesia. Although many studies have focused on improving safety and pursuing a higher quality of recovery, factors related to anesthesia emergence remain unclear. We must, therefore, identify factors that influence the process of emergence from general anesthesia in children. Findings We retrospectively examined 148 children (aged 1–6 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status: 1–2) who had undergone <2 h of ambulatory surgery. Clinical measures included time from the end of surgery to extubation (extubation time), age, height, weight, surgical time, mean indirect blood pressure during surgery, mean heart rate during surgery, mean end-tidal carbon dioxide during surgery (mETCO2), mean body temperature during surgery (mBT), and total amount of fentanyl. Anesthetic procedures involved sevoflurane or propofol. Multiple regression analysis revealed that mETCO2 (p < 0.01) and mBT (p < 0.01) were independent clinical factors associated with extubation time following pediatric ambulatory surgery. Conclusions This study of 148 pediatric patients demonstrated that anesthesia emergence may be associated with mBT and mETCO2 following pediatric ambulatory surgery. These results show that perioperative vital signs are important in the prevention of delayed emergence for pediatric patients

Remimazolam for Pediatric Procedural Sedation: Results of an Institutional Pilot Program

Remimazolam, an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine sedative, was first approved in 2020 in Japan as a general anesthetic for adults. However, its utilization in pediatric settings remains unexplored and, to date, is confined to isolated case reports due to a lack of specific pediatric labeling. The primary objective of our study was to evaluate the safety profile of remimazolam when used for procedural sedation in children following dosages established in adult protocols. Additional parameters, including dosage per kg of body weight, duration of the procedure, efficacy (measured as successful completion of the procedure), the necessity for supplemental medications, and changes in physiological parameters, such as the heart rate (HR) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), were assessed. Our study encompassed 48 children with an average age of 7.0 years. The objective Tracking and Reporting Outcomes of Procedural Sedation tool indicated no adverse events. In our cohort, propofol and ketamine were used as adjunctive treatments in 8 and 39 patients, respectively, with successful completion of all procedures. Notable hemodynamic variability was observed, with 88.4% of patients experiencing a ≥20% change (increase or decrease) and 62.8% experiencing a ≥30% change in MAP. Additionally, a ≥20% change in HR was observed in 54.3% of patients, and a ≥30% change was observed in 34.8% of patients. Nevertheless, none of the patients required pharmacological intervention to manage these hemodynamic fluctuations. Our findings suggest that remimazolam, when supplemented with propofol or ketamine, could offer a safe and effective pathway for administering procedural sedation in pediatric populations

Remimazolam as an Adjunct to General Anesthesia in Children: Adverse Events and Outcomes in a Large Cohort of 418 Cases

Remimazolam was first approved in 2020 as a general anesthetic for adults and still does not have pediatric labeling. Our study will be the first pilot program that administers remimazolam as an adjunct to a general endotracheal anesthetic in children. Between August 2020 and December 2022, electronic medical records were collected for all children who received remimazolam during anesthesia. The remimazolam dosing regimen was extrapolated from the adult package insert, with intravenous induction doses of 12 mg/kg/h administered until the desired effect was achieved. Subsequent infusions were given at a rate of 1–2 mg/kg/h, accompanied by intermittent boluses of 0.2 mg/kg, with all dosing adjustments made according to the anesthesiologist’s clinical discretion. A total of 418 children (mean 4.6 yrs, 68.7% ASA 1 and 2) underwent surgeries which averaged 81.2 min. A total of 75.2% of patients had greater than a 20% change (increase or decrease) in MAP (lowest or highest) from baseline, and 203 (49.3%) patients had greater than a 30% change (increase or decrease) in MAP (lowest or highest) from baseline. A total of 5% received ephedrine to treat unanticipated hemodynamic variability. Discharge criteria were met within an average of 13.8 min after arrival at the post-anesthesia care unit. Remimazolam may offer the benefits of rapid recovery following general endotracheal anesthesia. The risk of hemodynamic variability which necessitates and responds to ephedrine should be anticipated

Epidemiology of adverse events attributed to airway management in paediatric anaesthesia: protocol for the prospective, multicentre, registry-based, cross-sectional Japan Pediatric Difficult Airway in Anesthesia study (J-PEDIA)

Introduction Failure to secure an airway during general anaesthesia is a major cause of adverse events (AEs) in children. The safety of paediatric anaesthesia may be improved by identifying the incidence of AEs and their attributed risk factors. The aim of the current study is to obtain real-world data on the incidence of adverse peri-intubation events and assess their association with patient characteristics (including the prevalence of difficult airway features) and choice of anaesthesia management. These data can be used to develop a targeted education programme for anaesthesia providers towards quality improvement activities.Methods and analysis This prospective, multicentre, registry-based, cross-sectional study will be conducted in four tertiary care hospitals in Japan from June 2022 to May 2025. Children &lt;18 years of age undergoing surgical and/or diagnostic test procedures under general anaesthesia or sedation by anaesthesiologists will be enrolled in this study. Data on patient characteristics, discipline of anaesthesia providers and methodology of airway management will be collected through a standardised verification system. The exposure of interest is the presence of difficult airway features defined based on the craniofacial appearance. The primary and secondary endpoints are all AEs associated with airway management and reduced peripheral capillary oxygen saturation values. Potential confounders are related to the failure to secure the airway and variations in the anaesthesia providers’ levels, adjusted using hierarchical multivariable regression models with mixed effects. The sample size was calculated to be approximately 16 000 assuming a 99% probability of obtaining a 95% Wilson CI with±0.3% of the half-width for the 2.0% of the incidence of critical AEs.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Aichi Children’s Health and Medical Center (2021051). The results will be reported in a peer-reviewed journal and a relevant academic conference.Trial registration number UMIN000047351