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BACKGROUND Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is a known biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of bronchial hyperreactivity in adults and children. AIMS To investigate the potential role of eNO measurement for predicting perioperative respiratory adverse events in children, we sought to determine its feasibility and acceptability before adenotonsillectomy. METHODS We attempted eNO testing in children, 4-12 years of age, immediately prior to admission for outpatient adenotonsillectomy. We used correlations between eNO levels and postoperative adverse respiratory events to make sample size predictions for future studies that address the predictability of the device. RESULTS One hundred and three (53%) of 192 children were able to provide an eNO sample. The success rate increased with age from 23% (9%-38%) at age 4 to over 85% (54%-98%) after age 9. Using the eNO normal value (

Medication administration by anesthesia providers in the perioperative environment is a uniquely risky endeavor because the prescribing clinician is the same person that dispenses, premixes, repack...

This review identifies disease states associated with malignant hyperthermia susceptibility based on genotypic and phenotypic findings, and a framework is established for clinicians to identify a potentially malignant hyperthermia–susceptible patient.

BACKGROUND:Wake Up Safe is a quality improvement initiative of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia that contains a deidentified registry of serious adverse events occurring in pediatric anesthesia. The aim of this study was to describe and characterize reported medication errors to find common patt

SummaryBackground Although it is known that a patient's race may influence their medical care, racial patterns of medication administration in pediatric anesthesia have not been well-studied. The aim of this study was to determine if differences exist between Black and White children with regard to administration of anesthetic and analgesic medications for a single procedure at our institution. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of medications administered to patients for emergency appendectomies at a large academic children's hospital from 2010 to 2015. We examined the association between patient race and administration of preoperative midazolam and intraoperative ondansetron, lidocaine, ketorolac, and weight-based doses of fentanyl and morphine. Results During the study period, 1680 patients (1329 White, 351 Black) underwent emergency appendectomy. There were no significant racial differences in administration of intraoperative anesthetic medications between Black and White children. In unadjusted analysis, Black children were less likely to receive preoperative midazolam than White children (OR=0.74 [95% CI, 0.58-0.94], P=.012). After adjusting for confounders, there was no evidence of racial differences in administration of preoperative or intraoperative medications. Conclusions We did not find a significant difference in preoperative or intraoperative medication administration based on race when we adjusted for age, gender, and attending anesthesiologist practice patterns. We encourage all institutions to monitor their own practice patterns with regard to race.

The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the usefulness of universal Luer-type connector systems, and through analysis of case reports, we highlight the wrong-route medication errors that have occurred because of misconnections of these universal connectors. We will also describe new legal remedies that have attempted to improve patient safety and prevent wrong route medication errors. We present the new 80369 small bore standards created by the International Organization of Standards and describe the new connectors devised for enteral and neuraxial connectors. In the future, health-care workers worldwide will use different types of connectors for different entry routes such as intravascular, enteral, neuraxial, respiratory, limb inflation, and urinary equipment. As of 2017, new types of connectors for enteral administration have been introduced, and neuraxial administration connectors are expected within the next year or two. Advantages and disadvantages of these connectors will be uncovered with increasing use by patients and anesthesia providers.

At a recent consensus conference, the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States addressed 6 important and unresolved clinical questions concerning the optimal management of patients with malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility or acute MH. They include: (1) How much dantrolene should be available in facilities where volatile agents are not available or administered, and succinylcholine is only stocked on site for emergency purposes? (2) What defines masseter muscle rigidity? What is its relationship to MH, and how should it be managed when it occurs? (3) What is the relationship between MH susceptibility and heat- or exercise-related rhabdomyolysis? (4) What evidence-based interventions should be recommended to alleviate hyperthermia associated with MH? (5) After treatment of acute MH, how much dantrolene should be administered and for how long? What criteria should be used to determine stopping treatment with dantrolene? (6) Can patients with a suspected personal or family history of MH be safely anesthetized before diagnostic testing? This report describes the consensus process and the outcomes for each of the foregoing unanswered clinical questions.

ObjectiveTo determine trends in opioid prescribing for home use after pediatric outpatient surgery.DesignRetrospective analysis of a de-identified database.SettingMultispecialty children’s hospital and freestanding surgery centers.Patients, ParticipantsA total of 65,190 encounters of pediatric outpatient surgeries from 2013 through 2017 for nine different surgical specialties. Patients in the cardiothoracic service and nonpainful procedures were excluded.MainOutcome Measures. Incidence rate of prescribing, dose, number of doses available (i.e., duration of therapy), and maximum weight-based home opioid availability from 2013 to 2017. Additional independent variables included sex, age, weight, race/ethnicity, insurance type (private vs public), and surgical service.ResultsThe incidence rate of receiving a take-home opioid prescription at discharge ranged from 18% to 21% between 2013 and 2017, with no clear directional trend. Among patients prescribed opioids, however, the maximum available take-home dose steadily declined from 2013 through 2017 (P ConclusionsThe rate of receiving a take-home opioid prescription and the dose prescribed remained stable from 2013 to 2017, but the duration of treatment steadily declined, and beginning in 2015, the amount per dose also decreased. Certain subgroups of patients were more likely to be prescribed opioids and will require further investigation and confirmation.

This chapter reviews the developmental anatomy and physiology of the pediatric upper airway as it relates to the practice of pediatric anesthesia. Differences between the pediatric and adult airways are important determinants of anesthetic techniques. Knowledge of normal developmental anatomy and physiologic function is required to understand and manage both the normal and the pathologic airways of infants and children. Techniques of mask ventilation, oral and nasal airway placement, use of supraglottic devices, and tracheal intubation are reviewed for normal and anatomically abnormal pediatric patients.

* Abbreviation: FCA — : False Claims Act On June 30, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the 2016 Open Payments data, which (as required by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act of the Affordable Care Act) disclose payments and any other “transfers of value” to physicians from commercial entities (https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov). This was the third complete year of the availability of this information. It now includes payment information from over 2000 companies that have made ∼40 million payments to over 900 000 physicians for a total of nearly 25 billion dollars. The vast majority of these payments are for relatively small dollar amounts (

Abuse-deterrent opioid formulations have been suggested as one way to decrease the abuse, addiction, and overdose of orally prescribed opioids. Ten oral opioid formulations have received abuse-deterrent labeling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Their properties consist of physical and/or chemical means by which the pills resist manipulation and create a barrier to unintended administration, such as chewing, nasal snorting, smoking, and intravenous injection. In this review, we describe the mechanisms of abuse-deterrent technology, the types of premarketing studies required for FDA approval, the pharmacology of the currently approved abuse-deterrent opioid formulations, and the evidence for and against their influence on opioid abuse. We conclude that there is currently insufficient evidence to indicate that the availability of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations has altered the trajectory of opioid overdose and addiction; however, postmarketing studies are in their infancy, and novel deterrent formulations are continually being developed and submitted for marketing approval.