SARS-CoV-2 positive child-What to do if inhalation induction of anesthesia is unavoidable?

Induction of anesthesia by inhalation is very common in children due to difficult venous conditions and especially in uncooperative children. During the study on complications in the pediatric anesthesia in Europe (APRICOT study) including almost 30,000 patients, 48% of the children were induced by inhalation. Under the conditions of the corona pandemic, however, induction of anesthesia by inhalation represents an increased risk of infection due to the potential release of aerosols. Rapid sequence induction is recommended for anesthesia induction and definitive airway management for adults and children in the current pandemic situation. The present case demonstrates that there can be situations in children in which induction of anesthesia by inhalation is unavoidable and shows a potential procedure for reducing the risk of infection for the anesthesia personnel

Dexmedetomidine as a sole sedative for procedural sedation in preterm and neonate infants: A retrospective analysis

Background Many different sedation concepts for magnetic resonance imaging have been described for prematurely and term-born infants, ranging from no sedation to general anesthesia. Dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 receptor agonist that is frequently used to sedate older children, because the anesthesiologist can easily adjust sedation depth, the patient maintains spontaneous breathing, and awakens rapidly afterwards. Aims The present study evaluates whether dexmedetomidine could safely be used as the sole sedative for prematurely and term-born infants less than 60 weeks postconceptional age undergoing diagnostic procedures. Methods We performed a retrospective monocentric analysis of n = 39 prematurely and term-born infants (<60 weeks postconceptional age or a body weight <5 kg) who were sedated with dexmedetomidine for an MRI at a German university hospital from August 2016 to November 2018. Results Successful imaging was achieved in all cases. The median initial bolus of dexmedetomidine administered over 10 min was 1.39 mu g kg(-1) body weight (range 0.34-3.64 mu g kg(-1)), followed with a continuous infusion at a median rate of 1.00 mu g kg(-1) h(-1) (range 0.5-3.5 mu g kg(-1) h(-1)); however, 3 patients (7%) needed some additional sedation (ketamine or propofol). All patients, including 10 infants who had previously required respiratory support, underwent the procedure without any relevant desaturation or apnea. Bradycardia was observed in up to 15 out of 39 cases (38.5%), but only four (10.3% in total and 26.7% of bradycardia) required atropine. Conclusions These results indicate that dexmedetomidine can be safely used for procedural sedation in the high-risk cohort of prematurely and term-born infants less than 60 weeks postconceptional age. Apnea during procedural sedation and subsequent stay in the recovery room is avoided, but bradycardia remains a relevant risk that may require treatment

Human metapneumovirus infection in the cardiac paediatric ICU before and during COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort analysis

Introduction: This study investigates the hygiene standards in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on the perioperative incidence of human metapneumovirus as well as the typical symptom burden of human metapneumovirus-infected children with CHDs. Materials and methods: Between March 2018 and July 2021, all patients of a cardiac paediatric ICU of a German university hospital were included in this retrospective cohort analysis. Results: A total of 589 patients with CHD were included in the analysis. Three hundred and fifty-two patients (148 females and 204 males) were admitted before the introduction of social distancing and face masks between March 2018 and 15 April 2020 (cohort A). Two hundred and thirty-seven patients (118 females and 119 males) were admitted after the introduction between April 16 and July 2021 (cohort B). In cohort A, human metapneumovirus was detected in 11 out of 352 patients (3.1%) during their stay at cardiac paediatric ICU. In cohort B, one patient out of 237 (0.4%) tested positive for human metapneumovirus. Patients who tested positive for human metapneumovirus stayed in cardiac paediatric ICU for a median of 17.5 days (range, 2-45 days). Patients without a detected human metapneumovirus infection stayed in the cardiac paediatric ICU for a median of 4 days (range, 0.5-114 days). Nine out of 12 (75%) human metapneumovirus-positive patients showed atelectasis. Conclusion: Perioperative human metapneumovirus infections prolong cardiac paediatric ICU stay in children with CHD. In affected patients, pulmonary impairment with typical symptoms appears. Under certain circumstances, a complication-rich perioperative infection with human metapneumovirus could be prevented in paediatric cardiac high-risk patients by prophylactic hygiene intervention

Morbidity and mortality after anaesthesia in early life: results of the European prospective multicentre observational study, neonate and children audit of anaesthesia practice in Europe (NECTARINE)

Background: Neonates and infants requiring anaesthesia are at risk of physiological instability and complications, but triggers for peri-anaesthetic interventions and associations with subsequent outcome are unknown. Methods: This prospective, observational study recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. The primary aim was to identify thresholds of pre-determined physiological variables that triggered a medical intervention. The secondary aims were to evaluate morbidities, mortality at 30 and 90 days, or both, and associations with critical events. Results: Infants (n=5609) born at mean (standard deviation [sd]) 36.2 (4.4) weeks postmenstrual age (35.7% preterm) underwent 6542 procedures within 63 (48) days of birth. Critical event(s) requiring intervention occurred in 35.2% of cases, mainly hypotension (&gt;30% decrease in blood pressure) or reduced oxygenation (SpO2 &lt;85%). Postmenstrual age influenced the incidence and thresholds for intervention. Risk of critical events was increased by prior neonatal medical conditions, congenital anomalies, or both (relative risk [RR]=1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.28) and in those requiring preoperative intensive support (RR=1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.41). Additional complications occurred in 16.3% of patients by 30 days, and overall 90-day mortality was 3.2% (95% CI, 2.7-3.7%). Co-occurrence of intraoperative hypotension, hypoxaemia, and anaemia was associated with increased risk of morbidity (RR=3.56; 95% CI, 1.64-7.71) and mortality (RR=19.80; 95% CI, 5.87-66.7). Conclusions: Variability in physiological thresholds that triggered an intervention, and the impact of poor tissue oxygenation on patient's outcome, highlight the need for more standardised perioperative management guidelines for neonates and infants