Halothane-morphine compared with high-dose sufentanil for anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in neonatal cardiac surgery

Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Pain Management: After 40 Years in the Desert, Have We Reached the Promised Land?

Pain prevention in the pediatric population is mandatory and an integrative aspect of medical practice. Optimal pain management is the right of all patients and the responsibility of all health professionals. The key to adequate pain management is assessing its presence and severity, identifying those who require intervention, and appreciating treatment efficacy. The population of pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery is unique in both clinical severity and hemodynamic response to painful stimuli, thus making pain management even more challenging. In this review, we will describe the different pain assessment tools as well as intra- and postoperative regimens of pain management.

Pharmacokinetic considerations for pediatric patients receiving analgesia in the intensive care unit; targeting postoperative, ECMO and hypothermia patients

INTRODUCTION

Adequate postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) matters, since untreated pain is associated with negative outcomes. Compared to routine postoperative patients, children undergoing hypothermia (HT) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or recovering after cardiac surgery likely display non-maturational differences in pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD). These differences warrant additional dosing recommendations to optimize pain treatment. Areas covered: Specific populations within the ICU will be discussed with respect to expected variations in PK and PD for various analgesics. We hereby move beyond maturational changes and focus on why PK/PD may be different in children undergoing HT, ECMO or cardiac surgery. We provide a stepwise manner to develop PK-based dosing regimens using population PK approaches in these populations. Expert opinion: A one-dose to size-fits-all for analgesia is suboptimal, but for several commonly used analgesics the impact of HT, ECMO or cardiac surgery on average PK parameters in children is not yet sufficiently known. Parameters considering both maturational and non-maturational covariates are important to develop population PK-based dosing advices as part of a strategy to optimize pain treatment.

International quality improvement initiatives

Across the globe, the implementation of quality improvement science and collaborative learning has positively affected the care and outcomes for children born with CHD. These efforts have advanced the collective expertise and performance of inter-professional healthcare teams. In this review, we highlight selected quality improvement initiatives and strategies impacting the field of cardiovascular care and describe implications for future practice and research. The continued leveraging of technology, commitment to data transparency, focus on team-based practice, and recognition of cultural norms and preferences ensure the success of sustainable models of global collaboration.

Chloroprocaine for epidural anesthesia in infants and children

Continuous epidural infusions are an effective and safe method of providing anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in infants and children with multiple advantages over systemic medications, including earlier tracheal extubation, decreased perioperative stress response, earlier return of bowel function, and decreased exposure to volatile anesthetic agents with uncertain long-term neurocognitive effects. Despite these benefits, local anesthetic toxicity remains a concern in neonates and infants because of their decreased metabolic capacity for amide local anesthetics. Chloroprocaine, an ester local anesthetic agent, which is rapidly metabolized in plasma at all ages, is an attractive alternative for this special population, particularly in the presence of superimposed liver impairment or when higher infusion rates are needed for surgical incisions stretching many dermatomes. The current manuscript reviews the literature pertaining to the use of 2-chloroprocaine for regional anesthesia in infants and children. Dosing regimens are presented and the applications of 2-chloroprocaine in this population are discussed.

Postoperative Immobilization and Pain Management After Repair of Bladder Exstrophy

Surgical repair of bladder exstrophy is an ongoing challenge for pediatric urologists. Postoperative immobilization is a mainstay of care to decrease tension on the repair site and is often utilized in conjunction with pelvic osteotomies performed in the same operative setting by pediatric orthopedic surgeons. Multiple pelvic immobilization techniques have been developed in conjunction with repair techniques including special techniques for neonates. The most commonly utilized techniques for pelvic immobilization are Buck's and Bryant's traction and spica casting. A multimodal pain management approach is critical with pelvic immobilization to minimize postoperative pain and anxiety associated with reconstructive surgery at a young age.

Sedation and analgesia practices at Italian neonatal intensive care units: results from the EUROPAIN study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to examine current bedside analgesia/sedation (A/S) and pain assessment (PA) practices in Italian neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in relation to the findings of an epidemiological European study and recently-introduced national guidelines.

METHODS

We analyzed the Italian data from the EUROPAIN (EUROpean-Pain-Audit-In-Neonates) prospective observational study on A/S practices that involved 6680 newborns admitted to tertiary-level NICUs in 18 European countries. Demographics, type of assisted ventilation, type and mode of A/S administration and PA were analyzed. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify factors predicting A/S and PA practices.

RESULTS

From October 1st, 2012 to June 30th, 2013, thirty Italian NICUs gathered data on 422 newborn: 131 on invasive ventilation (IV); 150 on noninvasive ventilation (NIV); and 141 on spontaneous ventilation (SV). A/S was documented for 35.3% of all infants admitted (86.3% IV; 17.3% NIV; 7.1% SV [p = 0.0001]), and varied considerably between NICUs (as reported in other European countries). Strong analgesics were used in 32.5% of cases, sedatives in 10.2%, mild analgesics in 3.8%. Fentanyl was used in 78.6% of cases, morphine in 8.4%, neuromuscular blockers in 5.3%, midazolam in 22.1%. The performance of PA was documented in 67.5% of all newborn (85.5% IV; 67.3% NIV; 51.1% SV [p = 0.001]). Illness severity, type of ventilation, bedside PA, and number of NICU beds were all factors associated with A/S use on multivariate analysis, while gestational age ≤ 32 weeks, and type of ventilation and presence of a pain team were associated with PA.

CONCLUSIONS

We documented a generally widespread, but still highly variable use of A/S and PA at Italian NICUs, despite the diffusion of national guidelines. There is an urgent need to improve routine PA to enable customized pain and stress control (and prevention) in all infants.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials.gov # NCT01694745 .

Intravenous midazolam infusion for sedation of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit

BACKGROUND

Proper sedation for neonates undergoing uncomfortable procedures may reduce stress and avoid complications. Midazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine that is used increasingly in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). However, its effectiveness as a sedative in neonates has not been systematically evaluated.

OBJECTIVES

Primary objeciveTo assess the effectiveness of intravenous midazolam infusion for sedation, as evaluated by behavioural and/or physiological measurements of sedation levels, in critically ill neonates in the NICU. Secondary objectivesTo assess effects of intravenous midazolam infusion for sedation on complications including the following.1. Incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH)/periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).2. Mortality.3. Occurrence of adverse effects associated with the use of midazolam (hypotension, neurological abnormalities).4. Days of ventilation.5. Days of supplemental oxygen.6. Incidence of pneumothorax.7. Length of NICU stay (days).8. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We selected for review randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of intravenous midazolam infusion for sedation in infants aged 28 days or younger.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We abstracted data regarding the primary outcome of level of sedation. We assessed secondary outcomes such as intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, death, length of NICU stay and adverse effects associated with midazolam. When appropriate, we performed meta-analyses using risk ratios (RRs) and risk differences (RDs), and if the RD was statistically significant, we calculated the number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) or an additional harmful outcome (NNTH), along with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for categorical variables, and weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous variables. We assessed heterogeneity by performing the I-squared (I2) test.

MAIN RESULTS

We included in the review three trials enrolling 148 neonates. We identified no new trials for this update. Using different sedation scales, each study showed a statistically significantly higher sedation level in the midazolam group compared with the placebo group. However, none of the sedation scales used have been validated in preterm infants; therefore, we could not ascertain the effectiveness of midazolam in this population. Duration of NICU stay was significantly longer in the midazolam group than in the placebo group (WMD 5.4 days, 95% CI 0.40 to 10.5; I2 = 0%; two studies, 89 infants). One study (43 infants) reported significantly lower Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scores during midazolam infusion than during dextrose (placebo) infusion (MD -3.80, 95% CI -5.93 to -1.67). Another study (46 infants) observed a higher incidence of adverse neurological events at 28 days' postnatal age (death, grade III or IV IVH or PVL) in the midazolam group compared with the morphine group (RR 7.64, 95% CI 1.02 to 57.21; RD 0.28, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.49; NNTH 4, 95% CI 2 to 14) (tests for heterogeneity not applicable). We considered these trials to be of moderate quality according to GRADE assessment based on the following outcomes: mortality during hospital stay, length of NICU stay, adequacy of analgesia according to PIPP scores and poor neurological outcomes by 28 days' postnatal age.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Data are insufficient to promote the use of intravenous midazolam infusion as a sedative for neonates undergoing intensive care. This review raises concerns about the safety of midazolam in neonates. Further research on the effectiveness and safety of midazolam in neonates is needed.

Pediatric Perioperative Stress Responses and Anesthesia

Surgical stress responses cause an array of endocrinological, metabolic and immunological changes in patients. The landmark studies in the 1980s showed that adequate anesthesia dramatically improved the outcomes of pediatric surgical patients by attenuating stress hormonal responses, pointing out the harm of 'inadequate' anesthesia. Subsequent studies questioned the role of administering very high-dose anesthetics to further attenuate stress responses. Here we review the feature of surgical stress responses in pediatric patients including their difference from those in adult patients. Overall, pediatric patients show minimal or no resting energy expenditure change postoperatively. In adult patients, increased resting energy expenditure has been described. Pediatric patients demonstrated robust cortisol and catecholamine responses than adult patients. However, the duration of these surges is often short-lived. Systemic proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels have been measured. Pediatric patients showed less proinflammatory cytokine elevation, but had similar anti-antiinflamatory responses. We also review in detail the immunological changes in response to surgical stress. Based on our current knowledge, we attempted to understand the underlying mechanism how adequate anesthesia dramatically improved the outcome of patients. Although more work is needed to be done, understanding how pediatric patients respond to perioperative stress, and its mechanism and consequence will allow us to direct us into a better, perioperative management in this population.

Functional, quality of life, and neurodevelopmental outcomes after congenital cardiac surgery

Throughout the past few decades, advances in cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and surgical techniques have resulted in a growing cohort of thriving school-aged children with previously lethal complex congenital heart diseases. While survival has increased, there remains significant morbidity following repair including neurodevelopmental sequelae. Compared to children with a structurally normal heart, these infants and children have a higher frequency of abnormalities in tone, feeding, and delayed developmental milestones, as well as challenges with speech and learning disabilities, while a higher proportion of adolescents suffer from problems with processing speed, executive function, and a unique set of medical hardships related to exercise intolerance and obesity, medication burden, and mental health comorbidities. Innovative perioperative techniques and early psychosocial intervention in these young survivors has shown that despite the obstacles, the majority of these children can grow to have fulfilling lives with intelligence and social skills in the normal range. Additionally, a comprehensive medical home aids in optimizing the quality of life for these children and their families.

Can Babies Remember Trauma? Symbolic Forms of Representation in Traumatized Infants

Three important areas of current inquiry concerning early trauma-the respective roles of reality and fantasy, age-related capacity for the symbolic representation of trauma, and attachment status-are approached through clinical case reports of three children seen initially at very early ages. The findings are relevant to the issue of whether preverbal infants can experience traumatic events that later are available to interpretation. The focus is for the most part on event traumas-single harrowing, life-threatening experiences-occurring at quite early ages. Three main points are emphasized. First, toddlers and infants (including neonates) can experience intense pain and show symptoms of traumatization. They are capable of experiencing an event as harrowing and life-threatening. Second, these events are capable of being memorialized or symbolically represented, that is, stored in memory in a way that can affect later behavior and learning. Third, how that traumatization resolves itself, or fails to, can be decisively affected by the functioning of the attachment system.

Pain management in trauma: A review study

Background:

Pain in trauma has a role similar to the double-edged sword. On the one hand, pain is a good indicator to determine the severity and type of injury. On the other hand, pain can induce sever complications and it may lead to further deterioration of the patient. Therefore, knowing how to manage pain in trauma patients is an important part of systemic approach in trauma. The aim of this manuscript is to provide information about pain management in trauma in the Emergency Room settings.

Methods:

In this review we searched among electronic and manual documents covering a 15-yr period between 2000 and 2016. Our electronic search included Pub Med, Google scholar, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. We looked for articles in English and in peer-reviewed journals using the following keywords: acute pain management, trauma, emergency room and injury.

Results:

More than 3200 documents were identified. After screening based on the study inclusion criteria, 560 studies that had direct linkage to the study aim were considered for evaluation based World Health Organization (WHO) pain ladder chart.

Conclusions:

To provide adequate pain management in trauma patients require: adequate assessment of age-specific pharmacologic pain management; identification of adequate analgesic to relieve moderate to severe pain; cognizance of serious adverse effects of pain medications and weighting medications against their benefits, and regularly reassessing patients and reevaluating their pain management regimen. Patient-centered trauma care will also require having knowledge of barriers to pain management and discussing them with the patient and his/her family to identify solutions.

A Comparative Analysis of Preemptive Versus Targeted Sedation on Cardiovascular Stability After High-Risk Cardiac Surgery in Infants

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of two sedation practices on cardiovascular stability during the early postoperative period in young infants following cardiac surgery: the routine early use of midazolam infusion (preemptive sedation) and the discretionary use of sedatives tailored to the patient's clinical condition (targeted sedation).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study with matched controls.

SETTING

A 15-bedded pediatric cardiac ICU.

PATIENTS

Sedation strategies were compared by matching patients before and after the introduction of a targeted sedation guideline, replacing the existing practice of preemptive sedation. Inclusion criteria were age less than 6 months and cardiopulmonary bypass time greater than 150 minutes. Matching criteria were surgical procedure, age, and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp. The main outcome was cardiovascular instability, defined by the presence of one of the following criteria in the first 12 hours after PICU admission: 1) simultaneous administration of greater than or equal to two inotropic or vasopressor drugs; 2) administration of greater than 60 mL/kg fluid boluses. Secondary outcomes were: 1) markers of cardiac output adequacy (heart rate, blood pressure, vasoactive inotropic score, urine output, volume of fluid boluses, central venous oxygen saturation, lactate); 2) occurrence of adverse events (cardiac arrest, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, death); 3) sedatives administered and depth of sedation.

INTERVENTIONS

Introduction of a guideline of targeted sedation.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Thirty-three patients with preemptive sedation were matched to 33 patients with targeted sedation. Targeted sedation resulted in less frequent oversedation, without compromising cardiovascular stability, as indicated by similar occurrence of cardiovascular instability (68.8% with preemptive sedation vs 62.5% with targeted sedation; p = 0.53) and adverse events, and similar markers of cardiac output adequacy. Although all preemptively sedated patients received an infusion of midazolam in the first 12 hours after surgery, only 19.4% of patients in the targeted sedation group received a sedative infusion (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that after high-risk cardiac surgery in young infants, routine sedation with midazolam may not prevent low cardiac output syndrome. When accompanied by a careful assessment of level of sedation, routine sedation of infants after high-risk cardiac surgery can be avoided without compromising hemodynamic stability or patient safety. The potential benefit of this approach is reduced exposure to sedative.

ConceFT for Time-Varying Heart Rate Variability Analysis as a Measure of Noxious Stimulation During General Anesthesia

OBJECTIVE

Heart rate variability (HRV) offers a noninvasive way to peek into the physiological status of the human body. When this physiological status is dynamic, traditional HRV indices calculated from power spectrum do not resolve the dynamic situation due to the issue of nonstationarity. Clinical anesthesia is a typically dynamic situation that calls for time-varying HRV analysis. Concentration of frequency and time (ConceFT) is a nonlinear time-frequency (TF) analysis generalizing the multitaper technique and the synchrosqueezing transform. The result is a sharp TF representation capturing the dynamics inside HRV. Companion indices of the commonly applied HRV indices, including time-varying low-frequency power (tvLF), time-varying high-frequency power, and time-varying low-high ratio, are considered as measures of noxious stimulation.

METHODS

To evaluate the feasibility of the proposed indices, we apply these indices to study two different types of noxious stimulation, the endotracheal intubation and surgical skin incision, under general anesthesia. The performance was compared with traditional HRV indices, the heart rate reading, and indices from electroencephalography.

RESULTS

The results indicate that the tvLF index performs best and outperforms not only the traditional HRV index, but also the commonly used heart rate reading.

CONCLUSION

With the help of ConceFT, the proposed HRV indices are potential to provide a better quantification of the dynamic change of the autonomic nerve system.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our proposed scheme of time-varying HRV analysis could contribute to the clinical assessment of analgesia under general anesthesia.

Noncardiac Challenges in the Cardiac ICU: Feeding, Growth and Gastrointestinal Complications, Anticoagulation, and Analgesia

Outcomes following cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) admission are influenced by many factors including initial cardiac diagnosis, surgical complexity, and burden of critical illness. Additionally, the presence of noncardiac issues may have a significant impact on outcomes and the patient experience during and following an intensive care unit stay. This review focuses on three common noncardiac areas which impact outcomes and patient experience in and beyond the CICU: feeding and growth, pain and analgesia, and anticoagulation. Growth failure and feeding dysfunction are commonly encountered in infants requiring cardiac surgery and have been associated with worse surgical and developmental outcomes. Recent studies most notably in the single ventricle population have demonstrated improved weight gain and outcomes when feeding protocols are implemented. Children undergoing cardiac surgery may experience both acute and chronic pain. Emerging research is investigating the impact of sedatives and analgesics on neurodevelopmental outcomes and quality of life. Improved pain scores and standardized management of pain and withdrawal may improve the patient experience and outcomes. Effective anticoagulation is a critical component of perioperative care but may be complicated by inflammation, multiorgan dysfunction, and patient factors. Advances in monitoring of anticoagulation and emerging therapies are reviewed.

Stress Hyperglycemia During Surgery and Anesthesia: Pathogenesis and Clinical Implications

Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between hyperglycemia in the perioperative period and adverse clinical outcomes. Many patients who experience hyperglycemia while hospitalized do not have a known history of diabetes and experience a transient phenomenon often described as "stress hyperglycemia" (SH). We discuss the epidemiology and pathogenesis of SH as well as evidence to date regarding predisposing factors and outcomes. Further research is needed to identify the long-term sequelae of SH as well as perioperative measures that may modulate glucose elevations and optimal treatment strategies.

Prospective multicentre randomised, double-blind, equivalence study comparing clonidine and midazolam as intravenous sedative agents in critically ill children: the SLEEPS (Safety profiLe, Efficacy and Equivalence in Paediatric intensive care Sedation) study

BACKGROUND

Children in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) require analgesia and sedation but both undersedation and oversedation can be harmful.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of intravenous (i.v.) clonidine as an alternative to i.v. midazolam.

DESIGN

Multicentre, double-blind, randomised equivalence trial.

SETTING

Ten UK PICUs.

PARTICIPANTS

Children (30 days to 15 years inclusive) weighing ≤ 50 kg, expected to require ventilation on PICU for > 12 hours.

INTERVENTIONS

Clonidine (3 µg/kg loading then 0-3 µg/kg/hour) versus midazolam (200 µg/kg loading then 0-200 µg/kg/hour). Maintenance infusion rates adjusted according to behavioural assessment (COMFORT score). Both groups also received morphine.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Primary end point Adequate sedation defined by COMFORT score of 17-26 for ≥ 80% of the time with a ± 0.15 margin of equivalence. Secondary end points Percentage of time spent adequately sedated, increase in sedation/analgesia, recovery after sedation, side effects and safety data.

RESULTS

The study planned to recruit 1000 children. In total, 129 children were randomised, of whom 120 (93%) contributed data for the primary outcome. The proportion of children who were adequately sedated for ≥ 80% of the time was 21 of 61 (34.4%) - clonidine, and 18 of 59 (30.5%) - midazolam. The difference in proportions for clonidine-midazolam was 0.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.13 to 0.21], and, with the 95% CI including values outside the range of equivalence (-0.15 to 0.15), equivalence was not demonstrated; however, the study was underpowered. Non-inferiority of clonidine to midazolam was established, with the only values outside the equivalence range favouring clonidine. Times to reach maximum sedation and analgesia were comparable hazard ratios: 0.99 (95% CI 0.53 to 1.82) and 1.18 (95% CI 0.49 to 2.86), respectively. Percentage time spent adequately sedated was similar [medians clonidine 73.8% vs. midazolam 72.8%: difference in medians 0.66 (95% CI -5.25 to 7.24)]. Treatment failure was 12 of 64 (18.8%) on clonidine and 7 of 61 (11.5%) on midazolam [risk ratio (RR) 1.63, 95% CI 0.69 to 3.88]. Proportions with withdrawal symptoms [28/60 (46.7%) vs. 30/58 (52.6%)] were similar (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.28), but a greater proportion required clinical intervention in those receiving midazolam [11/60 (18.3%) vs. 16/58 (27.6%) (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.31)]. Post treatment, one child on clonidine experienced mild rebound hypertension, not requiring intervention. A higher incidence of inotropic support during the first 12 hours was required for those on clonidine [clonidine 5/45 (11.1%) vs. midazolam 3/52 (5.8%)] (RR 1.93 95% CI 0.49 to 7.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Clonidine is an alternative to midazolam. Our trial-based economic evaluation suggests that clonidine is likely to be a cost-effective sedative agent in the PICU in comparison with midazolam (probability of cost-effectiveness exceeds 50%). Rebound hypertension did not appear to be a significant problem with clonidine but, owing to its effects on heart rate, specific cardiovascular attention needs to be taken during the loading and early infusion phase. Neither drug in combination with morphine provided ideal sedation, suggesting that in unparalysed patients a third background agent is necessary. The disappointing recruitment rates reflect a reluctance of parents to provide consent when established on a sedation regimen, and reluctance of clinicians to allow sedation to be studied in unstable critically ill children. Future studies will require less exacting protocols allowing enhanced recruitment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN02639863.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 18, No. 71. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Pharmacoepidemiology of opiate use in the neonatal ICU: Increasing cumulative doses and iatrogenic opiate withdrawal

OBJECTIVE

Neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) care involves use of opiates to treat postoperative, ventilated, or chronically ill infants. Opiates provide necessary analgesia and sedation, but the morbidities include prolonged neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and extended length of stay for dose tapering. Our objective was to quantify trends in opiate exposure in a tertiary care NICU. The authors hypothesize that medical opiate exposure and resultant ICU-acquired NAS would increase over time.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary care NICU.

PATIENTS

High-risk inborn infants admitted in fiscal years 2003-2004, 2007-2008, and 2010-2011.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Average cumulative morphine exposure (all opiate doses converted to morphine equivalents) per time epoch was compared in cohorts of clinically similar infants. Linear regression was used to assess the primary outcome, assessing changes in opiate exposure over time.

RESULTS

Sixty-three infants were included in the final analysis. The primary analysis assessing cumulative opiate exposure per infant showed an increase of 134 mg per time epoch (95% CI-12, 279 mg, p-value 0.071). There was a statistically significant increase in the percent of infants with a diagnosis of iatrogenic NAS, increasing from 9 to 35 to 50 percent (p-value 0.012).

The long-term impact of early life pain on adult responses to anxiety and stress: Historical perspectives and empirical evidence

Approximately 1 in 6 infants are born prematurely each year. Typically, these infants spend 25 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where they experience 10-18 painful and inflammatory procedures each day. Remarkably, pre-emptive analgesics and/or anesthesia are administered less than 25% of the time. Unalleviated pain during the perinatal period is associated with permanent decreases in pain sensitivity, blunted cortisol responses and high rates of neuropsychiatric disorders. To date, the mechanism(s) by which these long-term changes in stress and pain behavior occur, and whether such alterations can be prevented by appropriate analgesia at the time of insult, remains unclear. Work in our lab using a rodent model of early life pain suggests that inflammatory pain experienced on the day of birth blunts adult responses to stress- and pain-provoking stimuli, and dysregulates the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in part through a permanent upregulation in central endogenous opioid tone. This review focuses on the long-term impact of neonatal inflammatory pain on adult anxiety- and stress-related responses, and underlying neuroanatomical changes in the context of endogenous pain control and the HPA axis. These two systems are in a state of exaggerated developmental plasticity early in postnatal life, and work in concert to respond to noxious or aversive stimuli. We present empirical evidence from animal and clinical studies, and discuss historical perspectives underlying the lack of analgesia/anesthetic use for early life pain in the modern NICU.

Acute perioperative-stress-induced increase of atherosclerotic plaque volume and vulnerability to rupture in apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice is amenable to statin treatment and IL-6 inhibition

Myocardial infarction and stroke are frequent after surgical procedures and consume a considerable amount of benefit of surgical therapy. Perioperative stress, induced by surgery, is composed of hemodynamic and inflammatory reactions. The effects of perioperative stress on atherosclerotic plaques are ill-defined. Murine models to investigate the influence of perioperative stress on plaque stability and rupture are not available. We developed a model to investigate the influence of perioperative stress on plaque growth and stability by exposing apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice, fed a high cholesterol diet for 7 weeks, to a double hit consisting of 30 min of laparotomy combined with a substantial blood loss (approximately 20% of total blood volume; 400 µl). The innominate artery was harvested 72 h after the intervention. Control groups were sham and baseline controls. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and serum amyloid A (SAA) plasma levels were determined. Plaque load, vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and macrophage content were quantified. Plaque stability was assessed using the Stary score and frequency of signs of plaque rupture were assessed. High-dose atorvastatin (80 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered for 6 days starting 3 days prior to the double hit. A single dose of an IL-6-neutralizing antibody or the fusion protein gp130-Fc selectively targeting IL-6 trans-signaling was subcutaneously injected. IL-6 plasma levels increased, peaking at 6 h after the intervention. SAA levels peaked at 24 h (n=4, P<0.01). Plaque volume increased significantly with the double hit compared to sham (n=8, P<0.01). More plaques were scored as complex or bearing signs of rupture after the double hit compared to sham (n=5-8, P<0.05). Relative VSMC and macrophage content remained unchanged. IL-6-inhibition or atorvastatin, but not blocking of IL-6 trans-signaling, significantly decreased plaque volume and complexity (n=8, P<0.01). Using this model, researchers will be able to further investigate the pathophysiology of perioperative plaque stability, which can result in myocardial infarction, and, additionally, to test potential protective strategies.

Summary: We developed a model to study the dynamics of atherosclerotic plaque growth and stability following surgery, and show that IL-6 inhibition and statins beneficially affect plaque volume and complexity.

Anesthetic Considerations and Management of Transposition of the Great Arteries

Transposition of the great arteries was once an almost uniformly fatal disease in infancy. Six decades of advances in surgical techniques, intraoperative care, and perioperative management have led to at least 90% of patients reaching adulthood, most with a good quality of life. This review summarizes medical and surgical decision making during the neonatal perioperative period, with a special emphasis on factors pertinent to the anesthetic evaluation and care during primary surgical repair of transposition of the great arteries. A review is also provided of anesthetic considerations for noncardiac surgery later in childhood or adulthood, for those survivors of the arterial switch operation, Rastelli procedure, Nikaidoh procedure, and the réparation á l’étage ventriculaire procedure.

Neonatal medications

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is reaching epidemic proportions related to perinatal use of opioids. There are many approaches to assess and manage NAS, including one we have outlined. A standardized approach is likely to reduce length of stay and variability in practice. Circumcision is a frequent, painful procedure performed in the neonatal period. The rationale for providing analgesia is presented as well as a review of methods. Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics have expanded our understanding of diseases and their drug therapy. Some applications of pharmacogenomics to the neonatal period are presented, along with pediatric challenges of developmental expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes.

Neonatal pain management

The past 2-3 decades have seen dramatic changes in the approach to pain management in the neonate. These practices started with refuting previously held misconceptions regarding nociception in preterm infants. Although neonates were initially thought to have limited response to painful stimuli, it was demonstrated that the developmental immaturity of the central nervous system makes the neonate more likely to feel pain. It was further demonstrated that untreated pain can have long-lasting physiologic and neurodevelopmental consequences. These concerns have resulted in a significant emphasis on improving and optimizing the techniques of analgesia for neonates and infants. The following article will review techniques for pain assessment, prevention, and treatment in this population with a specific focus on acute pain related to medical and surgical conditions.

Pain management in newborns

As a standard of care for preterm/term newborns effective pain management may improve their clinical and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Neonatal pain is assessed using context-specific, validated, and objective pain methods, despite the limitations of currently available tools. Therapeutic approaches reducing invasive procedures and using pharmacologic, behavioral, or environmental measures are used to manage neonatal pain. Nonpharmacologic approaches like kangaroo care, facilitated tucking, non-nutritive sucking, sucrose, and others can be used for procedural pain or adjunctive therapy. Local/topical anesthetics, opioids, NSAIDs/acetaminophen and other sedative/anesthetic agents can be incorporated into NICU protocols for managing moderate/severe pain or distress in all newborns.

Neonatal pain: What's age got to do with it?

Background:

The neurobiology of neonatal pain processing, especially in preterm infants, differs significantly from older infants, children, adolescence, and adults. Research suggests that strong painful procedures or repeated mild procedures may permanently modify individual pain processing. Acute injuries at critical developmental periods are risk factors for persistent altered neurodevelopment. The purpose of this narrative review is to present the seminal and current literature describing the unique physiological aspects of neonatal pain processing.

Methods:

Articles describing the structures and physiological processes that influence neonatal pain were identified from electronic databases Medline, PubMed, and CINAHL.

Results:

The representation of neonatal pain physiology is described in three processes: Local peripheral nervous system processes, referred to as transduction; spinal cord processing, referred to as transmission and modulation; and supraspinal processing and integration or perception of pain. The consequences of undermanaged pain in preterm infants and neonates are discussed.

Conclusion:

Although the process and pain responses in neonates bear some similarity to processes and pain responses in older infants, children, adolescence, and adults; there are some pain processes and responses that are unique to neonates rendering them at risk for inadequate pain treatment. Moreover, exposure to repeated painful stimuli contributes to adverse long-term physiologic and behavioral sequelae. With the emergence of studies showing that painful experiences are capable of rewiring the adult brain, it is imperative that we treat neonatal pain effectively.

Response to trauma and metabolic changes: posttraumatic metabolism

Stress response caused by events such as surgical trauma includes endocrine, metabolic and immunological changes. Stress hormones and cytokines play a role in these reactions. More reactions are induced by greater stress, ultimately leading to greater catabolic effects. Cuthbertson reported the characteristic response that occurs in trauma patients: protein and fat consumption and protection of body fluids and electrolytes because of hypermetabolism in the early period. The oxygen and energy requirement increases in proportion to the severity of trauma. The awareness of alterations in amino acid, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism changes in surgical patients is important in determining metabolic and nutritional support. The main metabolic change in response to injury that leads to a series of reactions is the reduction of the normal anabolic effect of insulin, i.e. the development of insulin resistance. Free fatty acids are primary sources of energy after trauma. Triglycerides meet 50 to 80 % of the consumed energy after trauma and in critical illness. Surgical stress and trauma result in a reduction in protein synthesis and moderate protein degradation. Severe trauma, burns and sepsis result in increased protein degradation. The aim of glucose administration to surgical patients during fasting is to reduce proteolysis and to prevent loss of muscle mass. In major stress such as sepsis and trauma, it is important both to reduce the catabolic response that is the key to faster healing after surgery and to obtain a balanced metabolism in the shortest possible time with minimum loss. For these reasons, the details of metabolic response to trauma should be known in managing these situations and patients should be treated accordingly.

Patient and procedural characteristics for successful and failed immediate tracheal extubation in the operating room following cardiac surgery in infancy

BACKGROUND

Immediate extubation in the operating room after congenital heart surgery is practiced with rising frequency at many cardiac institutions to decrease costs and complications. Infants less than one year of age are also increasingly selected for this 'fast track'. However, factors for patient selection, success, or failure of this practice have not been well defined in this population, yet are critical for patient safety.

OBJECTIVE

To identify selection criteria, patient and procedural characteristics for successful or failed very early endotracheal extubation in the operating room immediately following infant heart surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed for 326 consecutive patients undergoing neonatal and infant heart surgery from 2009 to 2012. Extubation and reintubation data were taken from the institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database and patients' charts. Patient characteristics were derived using multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Very early extubation in the operating room was performed for 130 of 326 neonates and infants (40%). Weight >4 kg, lesser procedural complexity, and absence of trisomy 21 were identified as significant predictors for attempted very early extubation. Of these patients, 12% required reintubation within 48 h following surgery, predominantly due to respiratory failure or for mediastinal re-exploration. Greater procedural complexity was associated with failed extubations. Reintubation was associated with prolonged hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS

Extubation immediately after infant heart surgery in the operating room can be safely achieved. However, our data suggest that patients undergoing more complex procedures should be selected more conservatively for immediate early extubation.

Acute pain management in infants and children-Part 1: Pain pathways, pain assessment, and outpatient pain management

The field of pediatric pain management continues to evolve, with ongoing changes in our appreciation of the impact of pain on our fragile patients, a better understanding of how to assess pain, and refinements of the medications and techniques used to provide analgesia to patients with acute pain of various etiologies. The following article reviews the techniques for the assessment of pain, including various age-specific pain scoring systems. The pharmacological management of pain is discussed, including the use of agents that inhibit prostaglandin formation-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and acetaminophen-as well as the "weak opioids" that are commonly used when oral administration is feasible for the treatment of mild to moderate pain.

Analgesia in the management of paediatric and adolescent trauma during the resuscitative phase: the role of the pediatric trauma centre

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of analgesia in the resuscitative phase of severely injured children and adolescents.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of paediatric (age<18 years), severely injured (ISS≥12) patients were identified from the London Health Sciences Centre's Trauma Registry from 2007 to 2010. Variables were compared between Analgesia and Non-analgesia groups with Pearson Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Resuscitative analgesia use was assessed through multivariable logistic regression controlling for age, gender, mechanism, arrival and Trauma Team Activation (TTA).

RESULTS

Analgesia was used in 32% of cases. Univariate analysis did not reveal any differences in gender, age, injury type, injury profile and arrival patterns. Significant differences were found with analgesia used more frequently in patients injured in a motor vehicle collision (58% vs. 42%, p=0.026) and having parents in the resuscitation room (17% vs. 6%, p=0.01). Analgesia patients were more injured (median ISS 22 vs. 17, p=0.027) and had 2.25 times more TTA (39% vs. 17%). Logistic regression revealed patients arriving directly to a trauma centre had a higher incidence of receiving analgesia (OR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.03-3.93), as did TTA (OR 2.18, 95% CI: 1.01-4.73) and having parents in resuscitation room (3.56, 95% CI: 1.23-10.33). Narcotics were most commonly used (85%), followed by benzodiazepines (16%), with 66% given during the primary survey.

CONCLUSION

Use of analgesia is important in the acute management of paediatric trauma. Direct presentation to a level I trauma centre, TTA and the presence of parents lead to higher appropriate use of analgesia in paediatric trauma resuscitation.

A double-edged sword: volatile anesthetic effects on the neonatal brain

The use of volatile anesthetics, a group of general anesthetics, is an exceedingly common practice. These anesthetics may have neuroprotective effects. Over the last decade, anesthetic induced neurotoxicity in pediatric populations has gained a certain notoriety based on pre-clinical cell and animal studies demonstrating that general anesthetics may induce neurotoxicity, including neuroapoptosis, neurodegeneration, and long-term neurocognitive and behavioral deficits. With hundreds of millions of people having surgery under general anesthesia worldwide, and roughly six million children annually in the U.S. alone, the importance of clearly defining toxic or protective effects of general anesthetics cannot be overstated. Yet, with our expanding body of knowledge, we have come to learn that perhaps not all volatile anesthetics have the same pharmacological profiles; certain ones may have a more favorable neurotoxic profile and may actually exhibit neuroprotection in specific populations and situations. Thus far, very few clinical studies exist, and have not yet been convincing enough to alter our practice. This review will provide an update on current data regarding volatile anesthetic induced neurotoxicity and neuroprotection in neonatal and infant populations. In addition, this paper will discuss ongoing studies and the trajectory of further research over the coming years.

Critical incidents related to opioid infusions in children: a five-year review and analysis

PURPOSE

Opioids have a narrow therapeutic index and have the potential to cause significant harm. Developmental and pharmacogenetic factors put children, and especially infants, at increased risk of complications. We performed a retrospective root cause analysis to identify the factors associated with critical incidents in children receiving opioid infusions in a tertiary care children's hospital.

METHODS

Following institutional ethical approval, we identified potential critical incidents during 2004 to 2009 from patient safety and pharmacy data. Patients' medical charts were reviewed and a timeline of events that occurred before, during, and following each incident was generated. A safety assessment code score was assigned to each incident according to its severity and probability of recurrence, and incidents with a score ≥ 8 were selected for root cause analysis. Root causes were identified and classified, formal causal statements were written, and action plans were recommended.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-six medical charts were reviewed, and 58 of these included one (45/58) or more (13/58) relevant critical incidents. The resulting harms were of minor to moderate severity. Fourteen incidents were submitted for detailed analysis, from which 31 root causes were identified. The most frequent and significant root causes involved defects in pre-printed order sheets, lack of a nursing guidelines for infusions (rate, adjustment, weaning), and inadequate guidelines for monitoring and recording pain, vital signs, and arousal scores.

DISCUSSION

The root causes of a range of critical incidents have been identified, and these have been used to generate recommendations for improving both patient safety and quality of analgesia for children receiving opioid infusions for acute pain management.

Pain management in neonates

Multiple lines of evidence suggest an increased sensitivity to pain in neonates. Repeated and prolonged pain exposure may affect the subsequent development of pain systems, as well as potentially contribute to alterations in long-term development and behavior. Despite impressive gains in the knowledge of neonatal pain mechanisms and strategies to treat neonatal pain acquired during the last 15 years, a large gap still exists between routine clinical practice and research results. Accurate assessment of pain is crucial for effective pain management in neonates. Neonatal pain management should rely on current scientific evidence more than the attitudes and beliefs of care-givers. Parents should be informed of pain relief strategies and their participation in the health care plan to alleviate pain should be encouraged. The need for systemic analgesia for both moderate and severe pain, in conjunction with behavioral/environmental approaches to pain management, is emphasized. A main sources of pain in the neonate is procedural pain which should always be prevented and treated. Nonpharmacological approaches constitute important treatment options for managing procedural pain. Nonpharmacological interventions (environmental and preventive measures, non-nutritive sucking, sweet solutions, skin-skin contact, and breastfeeding analgesia) can reduce neonatal pain indirectly by reducing the total amount of noxious stimuli to which infants are exposed, and directly, by blocking nociceptive transduction or transmission or by activation of descending inhibitory pathways or by activating attention and arousal systems that modulate pain. Opioids are the mainstay of pharmacological pain treatment but there are other useful medications and techniques that may be used for pain relief. National guidelines are necessary to improve neonatal pain management at the institutional level, individual neonatal intensive care units need to develop specific practice guidelines regarding pain treatment to ensure that all staff are familiar with the effects of the drugs being used and to guarantee access and safe administration of pain treatment to all neonates.

Anesthetic neurotoxicity: what to tell the parents?

Over the past decade, numerous preclinical and retrospective human studies have reported that the provision of anesthetic and sedative agents to infants and children may be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. These data have gained widespread attention from professional and regulatory agencies, including the public at large. As such, pediatric anesthesiologists are being increasingly questioned by parents about the risks of anesthetic agents on their children's neurocognitive development. To impart a framework from which anesthesiologists may address the apprehensions of parents who actively bring up this issue, we review the data supporting anesthetic neurotoxicity and discuss its strengths and limitations. As many parents are not yet aware and do not actively raise these concerns, we also discuss whether such a conversation should be undertaken as a part of the consent process.

The safety of prescribing opioids in pediatrics

INTRODUCTION

Pain management has become a widely discussed topic throughout all medical subspecialties. Although pediatric pain management has evolved significantly in its recent history, there is continued interest in the adequacy of pain treatment, both in the acute inpatient setting as well as the postoperative and chronic pain management setting. Although health care providers are becoming more aggressive concerning prompt and effective treatment of acute and chronic pain, safety data and adverse effects of narcotic analgesics may be overlooked.

AREAS COVERED

The authors review the current paradigm of acute pain management with an emphasis on oral narcotic medications, and the safety data available concerning prescribing these medications.

EXPERT OPINION

Further, the authors present their opinions concerning current and future practices regarding the prescribing practice of opiate analgesics, as well as a step-wise approach for acute oral pain management.

Sedation and analgesia to facilitate mechanical ventilation

Regardless of age, health care professionals have a professional and ethical obligation to provide safe and effective analgesia to patients undergoing painful procedures. Historically, newborns, particularly premature and sick infants, have been undertreated for pain. Intubation of the trachea and mechanical ventilation are ubiquitous painful procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit that are poorly assessed and treated. The authors review the use of sedation and analgesia to facilitate endotracheal tube placement and mechanical ventilation. Controversies regarding possible adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes after sedative and anesthetic exposure and in the failure to treat pain is also discussed.

Pediatric nurses' postoperative pain management practices: an observational study

PURPOSE

This study was an in-depth examination of pediatric postoperative pain care.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Participant observational data were collected on the care of 10 children. Particular attention was paid to actions when pain scores were ≥5 and to the relationship between pain scores and medications administered.

RESULTS

A pattern of care emerged of giving pain medications regularly even if they were prescribed pro re nata. Actions when pain scores were ≥5 varied. Recorded pain scores rarely guided treatment choices.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The use of pain scores to guide treatment choices needs further debate. Future research should explore the implications of divorcing treatment from pain scores on children's pain experience.