• Risk factors for malignant hyperthermia (MH) include a family history of severe hyperthermia or sudden hypermetabolic state during anesthesia with exposure to succinylcholine and/or potent inhalation anesthetics, and ryanodine…
Pearls • The classic triad of fever, neck stiffness, and a change in mental status is present in less than 50% of pediatric meningitis cases. • Streptococcus species (particularly viridans…
Pearls • Cardiac arrest in pediatric patients is predominantly due to asphyxia. This is in contrast to adults, for whom, despite an increase in asphyxial cardiac arrest related to the…
In the last 2 decades, there has been a robust demand for outpatient pediatric procedural sedation, now provided by myriad pediatric subspecialists, including pediatric intensivists. , The intensivist who is…
• Physical dependency and withdrawal have been documented in all agents used for sedation and analgesia in the pediatric intensive care unit, including benzodiazepines, barbiturates, opioids, dexmedetomidine, propofol, and the…
• Through the blockade of skeletal muscle function, neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) cause cessation of respiratory function, mandating airway control and the institution of mechanical ventilation. NMBAs should not be…
• The preoperative evaluation, which is performed prior to any anesthetic intervention, includes a history of present illness; past medical problems, including medication allergies; a past surgical and anesthetic history;…
• Outcomes for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients requiring intensive care unit care have improved over the past 2 decades. • Both acute and late cardiac complications occur in…
• Because of increased bone elasticity, rib fractures are uncommon in children and indicate significant traumatic energy delivery, raising concern for injuries of underlying viscera or nonaccidental trauma. • Children…
Pearls • Development of the definitive human kidney or metanephros begins at 5 weeks’ gestation and is complete by 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation, with an average of 1 million…
