ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Brief periods of haemoglobin oxygen desaturation are common in children during induction of general anaesthesia. We tested the hypothesis that oxygen insufflation during intubation slows desaturation. METHODS: Patients 1-17 yr old undergoing nasotracheal intubation were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of three groups: standard direct laryngoscopy (DL); laryngoscopy with Truview PCD videolaryngoscope (VLO2); or laryngoscopy with an oxygen cannula attached to the side of a standard laryngoscope (DLO2). The co-primary outcomes were time to 1% reduction in [Formula: see text] from baseline, and the slope of overall desaturation vs time. All three groups were compared against each other. RESULTS: Data from 457 patients were available for the final analysis: 159 (35%) DL; 145 (32%) DLO2; and 153 (33%) VLO2. Both VLO2 and DLO2 were superior to DL in both time to a 1% reduction in [Formula: see text] from baseline and the overall rate of desaturation (all P<0.001). The 25th percentile (95% confidence interval) of time to a 1% saturation decrease was 30 (24, 39) s for DL, 67 (35, 149) s for DLO2 and 75 (37, 122) s for VLO2. Mean desaturation slope was 0.13 (0.11, 0.15)% s(-1) for DL, 0.04 (0.02, 0.06)% s(-1) for DLO2 and 0.03 (0.004, 0.05)% s(-1) for VLO2. We did not find a correlation between decrease in [Formula: see text] percentage and BMI or age. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal oxygen insufflation increases the time to 1% desaturation and reduces the overall rate of desaturation during laryngoscopy in children. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01886807.
Subject(s)
Insufflation/methods , Intubation, Intratracheal/methods , Laryngoscopy , Oxygen/blood , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve catheters (PNCs) are used with increasing frequency in children. Although adult studies have demonstrated safety with this technique, there have been few safety studies in children. The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the incidence of PNC complications in children undergoing surgery. METHODS: This is an observational, multi-institutional study using the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network (PRAN) database. Data pertaining to PNCs were entered prospectively into a secure, online database by each participating centre. Patient characteristics, anatomic location, localization techniques, medications used, and complications were recorded for each catheter. All complications and any sequelae were followed until resolution. RESULTS: There were 2074 PNCs included in the study. 251 adverse events and complications were recorded, resulting in an overall incidence (95% CI) of complications of 12.1% (10.7-13.5%). The most common complications were catheter malfunction, block failure, infection, and vascular puncture. There were no reports of persistent neurologic problems, serious infection, or local anaesthetic systemic toxicity, resulting in an estimated incidence (95% CI) of 0.04% (0.001-0.2%). Patients who developed an infection had used the catheters for a greater number of days, median (IQR) of 4.5 (3-7) days compared with 3 (1-3) days in the patients who did not develop an infection, P<0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the safety of placing PNCs in children, with adverse event rates similar to adult studies. Catheter problems are common, yet minor, in severity.