Neonates and Anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Placental transfer of ephedrine causes fetal effects when compared with phenylephrine. This study compared their drug effects on neonatal parameters after cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. METHODS: Three-hundred-and-fifty-four women undergoing elective cesarean delivery who needed intravenous vasopressor following spinal anesthesia were randomized into two groups. Group E received boluses of ephedrine 6mg, and Group P phenylephrine 100µg, titrated to maintain systolic blood pressure near baseline values...

BACKGROUND: Perioperative hypothermia decreases nutrient and oxygen delivery to tissues and, in adult studies, increases the risk of infectious complications (ICs). Gastroschisis (GS) places newborns at risk for hypothermia by nature of exposed viscera and excessive heat loss. Although hypothermia is a known cause of mortality in GS, the rate of ICs in this at-risk cohort has not yet been delineated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed at our single tertiary-referral hospital, evaluating patient and operative characteristics of all GS infants who underwent operative closure...

Each calendar year the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology invites an individual to conduct a review of the medical literature, identifying clinically relevant publications of interest to the obstetric anesthesia provider. This report of that effort covers the publications from 2015 and includes the categories of anesthesia and analgesia, complications of neuraxial procedures, and the effects of anesthesia on the fetus. Neuraxial procedures represent the foundation of obstetric anesthesia; advances in anesthesia and analgesia include novel modes of administration, and refinements in care of the medically complex patient...

BACKGROUND: Crystalloids are used routinely for perioperative fluid management in cesarean delivery. Few studies have determined the crystalloid of choice in obstetric anesthesia. We compared the effects of Ringer's lactate (RL) versus 0.9% normal saline (NS) on maternal and neonatal blood pH and 24-hour postoperative morbidity in urgent cesarean delivery in a low-resource setting. Our hypothesis was that RL would result in 30% less acidosis than NS. METHODS: This was a pragmatic prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial in the Mulago National Referral Hospital Labor Ward Theater from September 2011 to May 2012...

BACKGROUND: The use of norepinephrine for maintaining blood pressure (BP) during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery has been described recently. However, its administration by titrated manually controlled infusion in this context has not been evaluated. METHODS: In a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 110 healthy women having spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups. In group 1, patients received an infusion of 5 μg/mL norepinephrine that was started at 30 mL/h (2...

In general, the anesthesia in neonates involves high risk. Although hypothermic anesthesia is recommended in rats up to the age of 7 days, neonatal anesthesia for later periods has not been standardized. The present study investigated the pharmacological properties of conventional anesthetic protocols in 10-day-old SD rats. The rats were anesthetized with four anesthetics: a combination of ketamine and xylazine (K/X); a combination of medetomidine, midazolam, and butorphanol (M/M/B); isoflurane; and sevoflurane...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Elective lower segment cesarean section under spinal anesthesia is frequently associated with shivering. Ondansetron has been shown to be effective for postspinal shivering. In the present study, we compare the efficacy of ondansetron to prevent postspinal shivering in parturients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of eighty full-term parturients scheduled for elective lower segment cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of intrathecal levobupivacaine with levobupivacaine and fentanyl in patients undergoing cesarean section. METHODS: Patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status I and II scheduled for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly allocated with thirty patients each. Group L: levobupivacaine group - thirty patients (10 mg). Group F: levobupivacaine plus fentanyl group - thirty patients (7...

Anesthesia cannot be avoided in many cases when surgery is required, particularly in children. Recent investigations in animals have raised concerns that anesthesia exposure may lead to neuronal apoptosis, known as anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity (AIDN). Furthermore, some clinical studies in children have suggested that anesthesia exposure may lead to neurodevelopmental deficits later in life. Nonetheless, an ideal animal model for preclinical study has yet to be developed. The neonatal piglet represents a valuable model for preclinical study, as they share a striking number of developmental similarities with humans...

An FDA alert in December 2016 on the safety of general anesthesia and sedations in patients less than 3 years of age and pregnant women has raised doubts in relation to the attitude that professionals implicated in these procedures should adopt in relation to these specific group of patients. Confronted with this situation, the following medical scientific societies: Sociedad Española de Anestesia y Reanimación (SEDAR), Sociedad Española de Cirugía Pediátrica (SECP), Sociedad Española de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (SECIP) y Sociedad Española de Neonatología (SENeo), have established a working group to analyze and clarify the safety of these techniques...

Hypotension commonly occurs in parturients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. This leads to maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes, including maternal nausea and vomiting and fetal acidosis, and might even lead to cardiovascular collapse if not treated. Arterial dilatation and reduction in systemic vascular resistance are the major contributors to spinal-induced hypotension. Therefore, strategies aimed at expanding the intravascular volume with fluid loading or increasing venous return with lower extremities mechanical compression and lateral tilt have had limited effectiveness in the management of spinal-induced hypotension...

INTRODUCTION: Meatal stenosis (MS) is a known complication of newborn circumcision. Symptoms are usually masked in young kids with a diaper. Deflation of urinary stream, dysuria, urinary frequency, and incontinence are the most common reported symptoms. Diagnosis of MS is still controversial. A narrow pinpoint urethral meatus is the current accepted diagnostic criteria. OBJECTIVE: In our practice, we observed that our cases do not overlap to the classic definition and presentation of MS...

BACKGROUND: Growing animal evidence demonstrates that prolonged exposure to propofol during brain development induces widespread neuronal cell death, but there is little information on the role of astrocytes. Astrocytes can release neurotrophic growth factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can exert the protective effect on neurons in paracrine fashion. We hypothesize that during propofol anesthesia, BDNF released from developing astrocytes may not be sufficient to prevent propofol-induced neurotoxicity...

INTRODUCTION: The aim, of this study is to describe our approach and outcomes in an outpatient anesthesia/analgesia antepartum clinic among ambulatory high-risk obstetric patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective evaluation of the activity of the anesthesiology antenatal clinic from its inception in 2010 until 2016 (a 5-year period). The clinic works in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The catchment area of the study University Affiliated Hospital attends a multiethnic population characterized by high parity...

BACKGROUND: Syringomyelia is a rare, slowly progressive neurological condition characterized by the presence of a syrinx within the spinal cord. Consensus regarding the safest mode of delivery and anesthetic management in patients with syringomyelia remains controversial and presents management dilemmas. This study reviews the cases of syringomyelia at our institution and provides a systematic review of the literature to guide decisions regarding labor and delivery management. METHODS: A retrospective review of cases at our hospital from 2002 to 2014 and a systematic review of the literature from 1946 to 2014 were undertaken...

BACKGROUND: Current recommendations for women undergoing cesarean delivery include 15° left tilt for uterine displacement to prevent aortocaval compression, although this degree of tilt is practically never achieved. We hypothesized that under contemporary clinical practice, including a crystalloid coload and phenylephrine infusion targeted at maintaining baseline systolic blood pressure, there would be no effect of maternal position on neonatal acid base status in women undergoing elective cesarean delivery with spinal anesthesia...

Nylon cable tie has been shown to be an effective and economical method for fixing fractured ribs in the neonatal foal. This article describes a modification of the previously described technique. Under general anesthesia, the fractured ribs were exposed and a hole was drilled in the dorsal and ventral fragments. The fracture was not reduced, leaving the fragments overriding each other. The nylon cable tie was passed through the hole in the dorsal fragment from the external surface of the rib. The free end of the cable tie was then passed through the hole in the ventral fragment from the external surface of the rib and the tie was tightened...

The potential for commonly used anesthetics and sedatives to cause neuroapoptosis and other neurodegenerative changes in the developing mammalian brain has become evident in animal studies over the past 15 years. This concern has led to a number of retrospective studies in human infants and young children, and some of these studies observed an association between exposure to general anesthesia as an infant, and later neurobehavioral problems in childhood. This association is particularly evident for prolonged or repeated exposures...

The Food and Drug Administration (USA) warning (December 2016) on the safety of general anesthesia and sedation in patients younger that 3 years and pregnant women has raised many questions about the attitude that should be taken by professionals involved in the treatment of these patients. In view of this situation, the following Medical Scientific Societies: SEDAR, SECP, SECIP and SENeo have constituted a working group to analyze and clarify the safety of these techniques. In the present article, we conclude that at present both general anesthesia and deep sedation should continue to be considered safe techniques because there is no sufficient opposing evidence in clinical studies with humans...

OBJECTIVES: To present results of a one-stage minimally invasive surgical procedure for congenital choanal atresia (CCA). Seven outcome measures were applied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study conducted between 1999 and 2015. The same endonasal endoscopic approach with multiflaps and no stenting was used on 36 children. The flaps were attached with fibrine glue. There were 50% unilateral and 50% bilateral cases, 70% primary and 30% secondary surgery. The mean age at primary surgery for bilateral atresia was 10 days and for unilateral atresia 4 years...