The challenges of positioning an infant undergoing optical coherence tomography under general anesthesia

Promethazine hydrochloride reduces children's agitation during ocular examination for trauma

Examination and intervention are always the causes of agitation, anxiety, and fear in children's lives. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of promethazine hydrochloride in reducing children's agitation during the ocular examination for trauma. In this interventional-clinical trial study, a total of 62 children referred to Al-Zahra Ophthalmology Hospital in Zahedan, Iran, were evaluated in two matched groups (case (n = 31) and control (n = 31)) for an initial examination of ocular trauma. Finally, the intervention was performed (giving placebo or promethazine hydrochloride cough syrup 20 minutes before the initial ocular examination at 0.5 mg/kg), and the demographic information form and researcher-made questionnaire modeled on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) were completed. The obtained results revealed that the mean scores of physical/aggressive behaviors (p ˂ 0.001), physical/nonaggressive behaviors (p = 0.013), verbal/aggressive behaviors (p ˂ 0.001), and hiding behaviors (p ˂ 0.001) were significantly lower in the promethazine hydrochloride-receiving group than the placebo group. These findings demonstrated that promethazine hydrochloride cough syrup facilitated the examination among the pediatric patients who suffered from traumatic ocular injuries. However, further studies in this field need to be carried out through randomized controlled trials.

Flying baby optical coherence tomography alters the staging and management of advanced retinopathy of prematurity

PURPOSE

To report the use of flying baby spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) on infants with advanced retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), where clinical findings alone failed to differentiate between retinoschisis and retinal detachment.

METHODS

Prospective, non-interventional case-series study of three premature infants with advanced ROP of clinically uncertain stage, after examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy. To confirm the diagnosis, table-mounted SD-OCT retinal imaging was performed with the infant held in the flying baby position under topical ocular anaesthesia only. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings were correlated with clinical examination and ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to determine disease stage and appropriate management.

RESULTS

The flying baby position was well tolerated, and SD-OCT images of central and peripheral retina were successfully obtained in all three cases. Additional information provided by the SD-OCT changed the ROP staging from 3 to 4 in one case, which subsequently required surgical treatment. In two other cases, clinical suspicion of stage 4 ROP was overruled as SD-OCT revealed tractional retinoschisis rather than full-thickness retinal detachment, thereby avoiding the need for immediate surgical intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

In this case-series study, flying baby SD-OCT provided a rapid and widely accessible imaging approach that overruled clinical findings and altered classification and management of infants with advanced ROP. The methodology was suitable for outpatient settings with no risks associated with systemic anaesthesia. The increased use of OCT imaging will make apparent how structural information is useful in management of ROP and may influence future classification of the disease.

Comparison of sedation by intranasal dexmedetomidine and oral chloral hydrate for pediatric ophthalmic examination

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Pediatric ophthalmic examinations can be conducted under sedation either by chloral hydrate or by dexmedetomidine. The objective was to compare the success rates and quality of ophthalmic examination of children sedated by intranasal dexmedetomidine vs oral chloral hydrate.

METHODS

One hundred and forty-one children aged from 3 to 36 months (5-15 kg) scheduled to ophthalmic examinations were randomly sedated by either intranasal dexmedetomidine (2 μg·kg^-1 , n = 71) or oral chloral hydrate (80 mg·kg^-1 , n = 70). The primary endpoint was successful sedation to complete the examinations including slit-lamp photography, tonometry, anterior segment analysis, and refractive error inspection. The secondary endpoints included quality of eye position, intraocular pressure, onset time, duration of examination, recovery time, discharge time, any side effects during examination, and within 48 h after discharge.

RESULTS

Sixty-one children were sedated by dexmedetomidine with a success rate of 85.9%, which is significantly higher than that by chloral hydrate (64.3%) [OR 3.39, 95% CI: 1.48-7.76, P = 0.003]. Furthermore, children in the dexmedetomidine group displayed better eye position in anterior segment analysis than in chloral hydrate group median difference. All children displayed stable hemodynamics and none suffered hypoxemia in both groups. Oral chloral hydrate induced higher percentages of vomiting and altered bowel habit after discharge than dexmedetomidine.

CONCLUSIONS

Intranasal dexmedetomidine provides more successful sedation and better quality of ophthalmic examinations than oral chloral hydrate for small children.

A randomized comparison of the prone ventilation endotracheal tube versus the traditional endotracheal tube in adult patients undergoing prone position surgery

Endotracheal tube displacement or dislocation is a severe complication that can occur in patients who require prone position ventilation. We hypothesized the prone position tube (PPT) would reduce the incidence of displacement of an endotracheal tube in an adult prone operation compared to a traditional tube (TT). A total of 80 adult patients undergoing neurosurgery or spine surgery were recruited. Sixty patients with prone position ventilation were randomly divided into the traditional routine endotracheal tube group (Group TT, n = 30) and the prone position ventilation endotracheal tube group (Group PPT, n = 30). The primary outcome measures were the incidence of the endotracheal tube displacement during surgery, and the secondary outcomes were symptoms of sore throat, dysphagia and dysphonia during follow-up in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The incidence of tube displacement was significantly lower in the PPT group (0 [0%] of 30 patients) compared to the TT group (22 [73.3%] of 30 patients; odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% CI 0.591-0.910; P = 0.005). There was no statistical difference in sore throat, dysphagia and vocal function between the two groups (P > 0.05) during follow-up. Compared to the traditional tube, the improved prone positon tube reduced the incidence of displacement of the endotracheal tube. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on April 29, 2015 (No. NCT02449356).

The use of optical coherence tomography in intraoperative ophthalmic imaging

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has transformed diagnostic ophthalmic imaging but until recently has been limited to the clinic setting. The development of spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT), with its improved speed and resolution, along with the development of a handheld OCT scanner, enabled portable imaging of patients unable to sit in a conventional tabletop scanner. This handheld SD-OCT unit has proven useful in examinations under anesthesia and, more recently, in intraoperative imaging of preoperative and postoperative manipulations. Recently, several groups have pioneered the development of novel OCT modalities, such as microscope-mounted OCT systems. Although still immature, the development of these systems is directed toward real-time imaging of surgical maneuvers in the intraoperative setting. This article reviews intraoperative imaging of the posterior and anterior segment using the handheld SD-OCT and recent advances toward real-time microscope-mounted intrasurgical imaging.

A novel technique using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis, SD-OCT+HRA) to image supine non-anaesthetized infants: utility demonstrated in aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity

PURPOSE

To acquire high definition spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images of supine, non-anesthetized infants in the office by a novel modification of a commercially available table-top, chin rest system.

METHOD

Spectralis, a combined HRA+OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) was modified to convert the table-top system into a hand-held device using a two-step modification of the existing system. This device was used to obtain high-resolution OCT images of four infants with aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (APROP) who required no general anesthesia.

RESULTS

Serial imaging at two time periods of the exact area of clinical interest were obtained and were comparable. The entire procedure was safely completed in the office. The obtained OCT images guided selective laser ablation of flat neovascularization which were missed on clinical examination.

CONCLUSION

With this simple modification and technique, the ability of using the Spectralis, a popular combined angiography and OCT imaging device for imaging supine, non-anesthetized infants has been established. This possibility would allow the dual use of the table-top system to serve also as a hand-held device for paediatric cases that can be imaged in the office setting with limited operating room facility in a busy practice.