Introduction Anesthetic induction, maintenance, and recovery in infants and children requires a unique approach and special considerations not often necessary in the adult population. It is the anesthesiologist’s responsibility to develop a comprehensive plan that accounts for all aspects of…
Introduction Point-of-care ultrasound is being used for an increasing number of diagnostic and procedural applications. This chapter will focus on the clinical use of point-of-care ultrasound as it applies to pediatric anesthesia, including basic principles of ultrasound physics and the…
Introduction Airway management is a fundamental aspect of anesthesia. In pediatrics, airway anatomy and physiology change as patients develop. These changes can be further altered by the patient’s disease and/or underlying genetic syndrome. Thus children are at risk for presenting…
Basic monitoring Anesthetic morbidity remains an important consideration in pediatric anesthesia practice, with risk increasing as the age of the patient decreases. This is despite the development of newer anesthetics and techniques. In addition, advances in medical and surgical care…
Introduction Pediatric anesthesiologists care for a diverse patient population. Anesthetizing a 500-g neonate can be followed immediately by care for a 100-kg adolescent. This broad range of patient ages and sizes requires a diverse array of anesthesia equipment. This chapter…
Anesthesiology has evolved into an incredibly safe medical specialty. In large part, this is due to improvements in monitoring and medications, and the preoperative evaluation and preparation by the anesthesiologist are also important components of this safety. There are multiple…
“ Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry. ” —Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), 1904–1991 Introduction Millions of children undergo surgery ever year in the United States, and a significant proportion of…
Introduction Anesthetic adjuncts are increasingly important supplemental medications. Their actions range from bronchodilation, vagolysis, and secretion reduction to pain modulation and the prevention and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The use of these medications is becoming increasingly common…
Introduction Neuromuscular blockade is used extensively in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care settings to optimize conditions for endotracheal intubation, ventilation, and surgical and diagnostic procedures. A thorough understanding of the maturational changes in neuromuscular anatomy and physiology, along with an…
Introduction To avoid the major adverse hemodynamic effects caused by potent inhalation anesthetic agents, the use of narcotic anesthesia has reemerged. Relative potencies of the various narcotics are listed in Table 12.1 . Initially, meperidine (0.5 to 1 mg/kg) and…