Unusual presentation and treatment of postlumbar puncture headache in an 11-yr-old boy.
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Blood Patch, Epidural↗
Biomedical subjects
J F Cassady
Publications and source records attributed to J F Cassady.
An alternative for avoidance of general anaesthesia for infants when bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy outlasts subarachnoid blockade.
Former premature infants represent a high risk surgical population. In order to minimize the risk of postoperative apnoea, subarachnoid blockade without sedation is known to be preferable to general anaesthesia for former premature infants undergoing bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. However, subarachnoid blockade affords only a limited duration of reliable anaesthesia. Nonroutine surgical delays and technical difficulties cannot always be anticipated by the anaesthesiologist. When bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy outlasts the anticipated duration of subarachnoid blockade, the anaesthesiologist is confronted with a dilemma. Infants are unable to complain verbally, so the extent of subarachnoid blockade may be difficult to assess intraoperatively. Introduction of sedation or general anaesthesia under these circumstances increases the risk of postoperative apnoea, thereby defeating the purpose of the original choice of anaesthesia. Several alternatives have been proposed, but all involve disadvantages. In this report of two cases, a new solution to this clinical dilemma is presented.
Anesthesia, General↗
Use of a preanesthetic video for facilitation of parental education and anxiolysis before pediatric ambulatory surgery.
UNLABELLED: In this study, we evaluated the effects of viewing an educational videotape about pediatric anesthesia on measures of parental knowledge of anesthesia and preoperative anxiety using a randomized, controlled design. During their routine preoperative visit, 85 parents of children scheduled to undergo ambulatory surgical procedures under general anesthesia were randomized to view either the experimental videotape about pediatric anesthesia or a control videotape with no medical content. Before and immediately after viewing the assigned videotape, parents completed measures of situational anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State), preoperative anxiety and need for information (Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale), and anesthesia knowledge (Standard Anesthesia Learning Test). Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed that parents who viewed the experimental videotape showed a significant increase in anesthesia knowledge (P < 0.022) and a significant reduction in their state of anxiety (P < 0.031), anesthesia-specific anxiety, and need for information (P < 0.0001) compared with the control group. These results demonstrated that viewing a preoperative educational videotape about pediatric anesthesia can provide immediate educational and anxiolytic benefits for parents of children undergoing ambulatory surgery. The duration of these benefits remains to be determined. IMPLICATIONS: In this study, we demonstrated the benefits of viewing an educational videotape about pediatric anesthesia on measures of parental knowledge of anesthesia and preoperative anxiety using a randomized, controlled design. We found that videotape viewing facilitated preoperative preparation and lessened preoperative anxiety.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
Validation of measures of parents' preoperative anxiety and anesthesia knowledge.
UNLABELLED: Parents' anxiety about their children's anesthesia may adversely affect the children's outcomes and compromise the quality of informed consent. Studies of these issues have been limited by the lack of validated measures of parental anxiety and knowledge surrounding anesthesia. In the present study, we evaluated psychometric properties of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) and the Standard Anesthesia Learning Test (SALT) among 85 parents who participated in an evaluation of the effects of a videotape about pediatric anesthesia. The results supported the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity of both instruments and documented the equivalence of two forms of the SALT. Factor analysis supported the previously demonstrated factor structure of the APAIS, further confirming its construct validity. We conclude that the APAIS and SALT are reliable and valid measures of parental anxiety and knowledge of pediatric anesthesia that can be used for clinical and research purposes. IMPLICATIONS: This study verified the reliability and validity of two questionnaires for measuring parents' knowledge and anxiety about pediatric anesthesia. These questionnaires can be used in further research on factors affecting parental anxiety and knowledge before their children's surgery.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
Regional anesthesia for urologic procedures.
Most urologic procedures can be performed under regional blockade anesthesia. These techniques present specific advantages, including the avoidance of the consequences of general anesthesia. The employment of regional anesthesia is a skill requiring knowledge of anatomy and of the desirable and undesirable actions of local anesthetic agents. Sedation of patients undergoing regional blockade offers specific advantages that may contribute to the patient's comfort and safety.
Anesthesia, Conduction↗
A randomized comparison of the effects of continuous thoracic epidural analgesia and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after posterior spinal fusion in adolescents.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pain and gastrointestinal dysfunction are primary factors that delay recovery after posterior spinal fusion. Previous reports suggest that the choice of analgesic management may effect the course of recovery. This prospective, randomized study compared continuous thoracic epidural analgesia and patient-controlled analgesia in the postoperative care of adolescents undergoing posterior spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: Patients between 11 and 18 years of age were randomized to receive continuous thoracic epidural analgesia with bupivacaine-fentanyl (CEA, n = 17) or intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with morphine sulfate (n = 16). After surgery under general anesthesia, pain intensity was evaluated using a self-report visual analog scale (VAS). Postoperative time to resumption of bowel sounds, liquid intake, and side effects were also recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups in VAS pain scores, side effects, or time to resumption of liquid intake. There was a significant difference (P = .0089) between groups in return of bowel sounds, which occurred earlier in patients receiving CEA. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous epidural analgesia and patient-controlled analgesia are comparably effective and safe after posterior spinal fusion. Return of bowel sounds occurred significantly more rapidly in patients receiving CEA postoperatively.
Adolescent↗