[Anesthesia-resuscitation in the treatment of craniosynostosis].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Blanot.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We report two cases of perioperative haemorrhagic shock after accidental puncture of trunc vessels, during emergency shunt procedures in children who suffer of severe intracranial hypertension. In both cases it's the peritoneal internalization of the shunt with Portnoy trocar which is responsible of these deep vascular wounds. Evolution was favourable in both cases with cardiovascular resuscitation, transfusion and surgical haemostatic correction. Few days later, an internal shunt was performed in the second patient, while the first patient did not need shunt anymore. These two accidents lead to the discussion of the surgical procedure with surgeons, in order to have a better prevention against this complication. We also discuss our anaesthesiological practice from preoperative to perioperative period of this usually non-haemorrhagic surgical procedure.
Surgical procedures for correction of craniosynostosis are performed in young infants with a small blood volume and represent major surgery with extensive blood loss. An accurate determination and a precise restoration of blood losses represent the major concern for the anaesthetist during this surgery. The preoperative assessment of these patients is usually simple, except in the cases where the craniosynostosis is associated with other congenital malformations. The anaesthetist should keep in mind that intracranial hypertension may be associated with craniosysnostosis, which modify the anaesthetic management, especially the induction of anaesthesia. Even though the psychological impact of a craniosynostosis should be taken into consideration, surgery is most often indicated for functional considerations, therefore parents should be informed of the risks related to the procedure. During the postoperative period the major concerns are related to the possibility of a persistent bleeding, which usually decreases and disappears over the first 12 hours.
The most frequent space-occupying cerebral lesions in children are brain tumors, mostly posterior fossa tumors and haematoma resulting from arteriovenous malformation rupture. They result in intracranial hypertension, directly or by compression of the cerebrospinal fluid pathway resulting in hydrocephalus. Their localization and compressive effects are responsible for specific neurological deficits and general problems. Posterior fossa lesions carry a high risk of obstructive hydrocephalus, cranial nerves palsy and brain stem compression, pituitary and chiasmatic tumors a risk of blindness, pituitary deficiency and diabetes insipidus, and cortical tumors a risk of motor deficit and epilepsy. All these parameters must be analyzed before choosing anaesthetic protocols, and surgical techniques. In the presence of life-threatening intracranial hypertension, emergency anaesthetic induction, tracheal intubation and ventilation are life-saving. The specific treatment consists in either hydrocephalus derivation, initial medical treatment with osmotherapy, or rarely surgical removal. In other situations, surgical process requires a highly deep, stable anaesthesia with perfect control of cerebral haemodynamics. Surgical positioning is complex for these long lasting procedures and carries specific risks. The most common is venous air embolism in the sitting position that must be prevented by the use of specific measures. In the postoperative period, the risk of neurological and general complications commands close surveillance, fast track extubation must be adapted on an individual basis.
OBJECTIVE: Using a weighted combination of the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), the Injury Severity Score (ISS), the type of injury (blunt or penetrating) and patient age, the TRISS method is used to calculate the probability of survival (ps) in trauma patients. The goal of this study was to compare the ability of the American Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS) norm for adult blunt trauma patients (ADULT) and the specific norm for paediatric patients (PED) to estimate the ps of injured children using TRISS methodology. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis using a paediatric trauma patient database. SETTING: A French level 1 paediatric trauma centre. PATIENTS: Four hundred seven consecutive paediatric blunt trauma patients, treated over a 3-year period. MEASUREMENTS: The observed and expected survivals were compared, using the M, W and Z scores, with both ADULT and PED. The W score is the number of survivors more or less than expected from the MTOS predictions for 100 patients. A Z score, which measures the significance of W, between -1.96 and +1.96, indicates no significant difference between observed and expected survivors. A value of M less than 0.88 indicates a disparity in the severity match between the study group and the MTOS group. We calculated the standardised W score (Ws), which represents the W score that would have been observed if the case mix of severity was identical to that of the MTOS group. Accordingly, a standardised Z score (Zs) was also calculated. In addition, we calculated the area under the receiver operating curve (aROC) using both norms, while calibration was also assessed by calculation of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests. RESULTS: Using PED, the number of actual survivors (n = 364) was not significantly different from the MTOS (n = 358). The value of M, 0.65, indicated a disparity in the severity match between the study group and the MTOS group, due to a higher proportion of patients with lower ps (TRISS < 0.95, 52 vs 27%). We was +1.06% (95% confidence interval -0.34 to 2.08) and Zs was 1.48, indicating no significant difference from the MTOS. Using ADULT, the number of observed survivors (n = 364) was significantly higher than that expected (n = 354), with a W score of +2.70% (Z = +1.98, p < 0.05). There was a disparity in the severity match (M = 0.67) between the study group and the MTOS group, due to a higher proportion of patients with lower ps. Ws was +1.32% (95% confidence interval -0.12 to 2.37) and Zs = +1.79 (NS), indicating no significant difference from the MTOS. The Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics indicated that ADULT (Cg = 7.24, p = 0.51; Hg = 4.45, p = 0.81) and PED (Cg = 6.08, p = 0.64; Hg = 3.55, p = 0.90) provided sufficient goodness-of-fit. There was no significant difference in the aROC of the TRISS between the two norms (0.935 +/- 0.050 vs 0.936 +/- 0.050; NS). CONCLUSION: Both adult and paediatric norms were equally good predictors of the probability of survival of injured children, provided that Ws and Zs are used when there is a disparity in the severity match between the study group and the MTOS group.
We report the case of a 6-month-old child, who suffered from acute haemolysis following transfusion of salvaged blood. This complication, of favourable outcome, was related to the accidental aspiration of benzalkonium chloride into the cell saver. This case emphasizes that any adjunction of antiseptic solution is contraindicated during blood saving. The use of a cell saver must be associated with written protocols, describing clearly the contraindications, precautions of use, and the different steps of use of this method of autologous blood transfusion.
We report a case of pulmonary embolism associated with percutaneous sclerotherapy (absolute ethanol: 0.5 mL.kg-1) of a venous angioma, performed under general anaesthesia in a 13 year-old child. The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, suspected on the clinical setting and symptoms, was supported by the pulmonary scintigraphy obtained 4 hours later, showing 3 minimal pulmonary defects. The outcome was rapidly favourable without sequelae under heparin administration and the pulmonary scintigraphy, performed on day 7, was normal. The role of absolute ethanol, for explaining the apparent contrast between the severity of the symptoms and the minimal obstruction noted on pulmonary scintigraphy is discussed. Also discussed are the prophylactic and curative therapeutic issues of this severe complication.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare complications in children operated for posterior fossa tumours in the sitting position with those in the prone position. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed the perioperative course of posterior fossa tumour (PFT) surgery according to the operating position. Sixty children were operated in the sitting position (SP) and 19 in the prone position (PP). Preoperative data were not different between groups. RESULTS: Patients in the PP group received a larger median (95% confidence interval) volume of intraoperative blood transfusion than patients in the SP group [200 (20-325) versus 0 (0-80) ml, P=0.04]. Intraoperative complications, as well as severe perioperative complications were more frequent in the PP group (P=0.01). The median duration of tracheal intubation [20 (18-24) versus 36 (18-72) h, P=0.037], of ICU stay [2 (2-3) versus 4 (2-5) days, P=0.02] and of hospital stay [11 (9-12) versus 14 (10-20) days, P=0.02] was longer in the PP group compared with the SP group. CONCLUSIONS: PFT surgery in the sitting position in children is not associated with an increased number or severity of perioperative complications, while the postoperative course appears better in this position.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of a pulmonary contusion (PC) on the outcome of a severe head trauma (SHT) in children less than 15-year-old. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PATIENTS: The study included 30 severely head injured children with a Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) < or = 8, associated with a PC (PC+) diagnosed on a thoracic CT-scan and 30 severely head injured children without PC (PC-). METHODS: Outcome was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), on discharge and six months later. Age, body weight, gender, GCS, PTS, ISS, hypoxaemia, arterial hypotension, the results of the cerebral CT-scan, the main treatment administered, complications, the duration of tracheal intubation as well as the duration of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital were compared between groups. RESULTS: GCS median was lower (6 vs 8, P = 0.001) and ISS median higher (25 vs 23, P = 0.0004) in the PC+ group. Hypoxaemia was more frequent in the PC+ group (n = 12 vs n = 0, P = 0.0001). There was no difference between groups regarding the results of cerebral CT scan. Blood transfusion was more frequently used in the PC+ group (n = 14 vs n = 5, P = 0.03). Median duration of tracheal intubation, and of stay in the ICU and in the hospital were shorter in the PC- group (respectively 8 vs 6 days, P = 0.03; 10 vs 7.5 days, P = 0.008; 13.5 vs 10.5 days, P = 0.01). No difference was observed regarding complications between groups. GOS on discharge was higher in the PC+ group (3 vs 2, P = 0.01). There was an increase in GOS at six months in the two groups, however GOS remained significantly higher in the PC+ group (median values 2 vs 1, P = 0.002). A favourable outcome occurred less frequently in the PC+ group on discharge and at six months (respectively n = 14 vs 25, P = 0.006; n = 20 vs 28, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The association of a PC to a severe head trauma is responsible for a poorer outcome in children, probably because, at least in part, a higher incidence of hypoxaemia.
A high incidence of unsuccessful attempts and complications has been reported when emergency tracheal intubation (ETI) is performed outside the hospital in severely injured children. The aim of this prospective series was to analyse the incidence and related risk factors of complications of emergency tracheal intubation. The time to complete successful ETI and occurrence of incidents, e.g. cough reflex, hypoxia or spasm were related to the experience of the physician performing intubation and the use of drugs to facilitate ETI. The incidence of hypoxia, hypercarbia, postintubation complications such as extubation stridor and long-term sequelae were noted. Of the 188 children, 78% were successfully intubated at the site of the accident, 10% upon arrival at a local hospital from where they were secondarily transferred and 12% upon admission to our trauma centre. The most severely injured children were intubated in the field in 98% of cases without failure, nor life-threatening complications related to ETI. The experience of the operator influenced the number of attempts and the time to complete successful intubation. Immediate incidents were noted in 25% of children, e.g. cough in 18%. The regimen of drugs, but not level of consciousness, influenced the incidence of immediate incidents; without drugs, more than 67% experienced incidents. Early tracheal intubation and controlled ventilation resulted in adequate ventilation upon arrival (mean PaO2 of 35.8+/-24 kPa, mean PaCO2 of 4.35+/-1 kPa). Long-term complications, including transient stridor upon extubation in 33% of the cases, and laryngeal granuloma or tracheal stenosis, were comparable to those in other series. ETI in shocked patients and pulmonary infection in hospital, but not the technique of ETI, increased the risks of long-term complications. Emergency tracheal intubation can be performed safely in the field, and results in adequate ventilation during transportation of severely injured children, provided that it can be performed by trained physicians using adequate drugs to facilitate intubation.
Surgical correction of craniosynostosis in infants is a very haemorrhagic procedure. The aim of this study was to determine whether the perioperative use of the continuous autotransfusion system (CATS) would reduce homologous transfusion during repair of craniosynostosis. Two groups of patients were studied according to the availability of the CATS in our hospital. The control group had surgery before the system was introduced and the study group had operations subsequently. Use of CATS was associated with a significant decrease in the median (95% confidence interval) volume of homologous blood transfused [413 (250-540) ml in the control group versus 317 (150-410) ml in the CATS group, P = 0.02] and in the median (95% confidence interval) number of packed red cell units transfused [2 (1-2) in the control group versus 1 (1-2) in the CATS group, P = 0.04] in the perioperative period. Use of CATS is associated with a reduction in homologous transfusion during the surgical correction of craniosynostosis in infants.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The case of a 11-year-old boy under anticoagulant therapy for a familial antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (SAAPF), who underwent surgery for a cerebrovascular malformation responsible for an intracerebral haematoma, is reported. Antivitamins K (AVK) were changed for unfractioned heparin (HNF), three days before. Heparin was discontinued two hours prior to surgery to obtain a normal peroperative coagulation. A vascular dural fistula was removed without any haemostatic problem. The neurological status rapidly returned to normal and tomodensitometry at day 1 showed a normal intracranial status. Heparin was readministered at h 16. Thrombocytopenia occurred at day 4 of heparin treatment. The change for a low weight molecular heparinoid, danaparoid (Orgaran), normalized the platelet count. The platelets aggregation tests were negative during thrombopenia. However, the test for antibodies against the PF4-heparin complex with the Elisa technique, was in favour of a heparin induced thrombocytopenia (TIH). In spite of its anecdotic occurrence due to cumulative thrombotic risks from the association of immunologic disorders (TIH and SAAPF), this case report underlines the value but also the risks of anticoagulant therapy in neurosurgery, when patients are at high risk for thrombosis.
We used a model of rhombencephalitis in gerbils to test the efficacy of various antibiotics against Listeria monocytogenes. Gerbils were inoculated in the middle ear with strain EGD and treated subcutaneously with various antibiotics alone or in combination. We found that the most active antibiotics on intracerebral bacteria were amoxycillin, co-trimoxazole, rifampicin and imipenem. Vancomycin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin were weakly or not active. The combinations amoxycillin-co-trimoxazole, amoxycillin-gentamicin and co-trimoxazole-rifampicin were highly active against intracerebral bacteria.
We have assessed the potential clinical benefit of a new echo-Doppler device (Dynemo 3000) which provides a continuous measure of aortic blood flow (ABF) using an aortic flowmeter and a paediatric oesophageal probe, during repair of craniosynostosis in infants under general anaesthesia. The data recorded included: ABFi (i = indexed to body surface area), stroke volume (SVi), systemic vascular resistance (TSVRi), pre-ejection period (PEP), left ventricular ejection time (LVET), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and central venous pressure (CVP). Data were collected: before (T1) and 3 min after skin incision (T2), at the time of maximal haemorrhage (T3) and at the end of the procedure (T4). Twelve infants (aged 7.0 (range 6-12) months) were included. ABFi, MAP and CVP were significantly lower at T3 compared with T1 (2.0 (0.8) vs 3.0 (0.8) litre min-1 m-2, 46.1 (5.8) vs 65.2 (8.9) mm Hg and 2.8 (1.6) vs 5.2 (2.1) mm Hg; P < 0.05). PEP/LVET ratio was significantly lower at T2 compared with T1 (0.25 (0.05) vs 0.30 (0.06)) and increased at T4 (0.36 (0.04); P < 0.05). These preliminary results suggest that this non-invasive ABF echo-Doppler device may be useful for continuous haemodynamic monitoring during a surgical procedure associated with haemorrhage in infants.
UNLABELLED: To identify risk factors associated with death in traumatized children, we prospectively studied 507 consecutive patients (7+/-4 yr) admitted to a level I pediatric trauma center over a 3-yr period. Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were calculated. Age, injury mechanism, injury pattern, and initial critical care were recorded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for potential risk factors associated with mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine threshold values of variables identified by univariate analysis. Most children suffered from blunt trauma (99.6%), and head trauma was noted in 85%. Median values (range) of GCS scores, PTS, and ISS were 10 (3-15), 7 (-4 to 12), and 16 (3-75), respectively. The mortality rate was 12%. Using multivariate analysis, death was significantly associated with an ISS > or = 25 (odds ratio [OR] 22.2, 95% confidence interval 2.8-174.9), GCS score < or = 7 (OR 4.77, 1.8-12.7), emergency blood transfusion > or = 20 mL/kg (OR 4.3, 2.1-9.1), and PTS < or = 4 (OR 3.7, 1.4-9.7). An ISS > or = 25, GCS score < or = 7, immediate blood transfusion > or = 20 mL/kg, and PTS < or = 4 were significant and independent risk factors of death in an homogenous population of severely injured children. The probability of traumatic death was therefore 0 (95% confidence interval 0-0.0135) in children with no one of these threshold values in the four predictive factors and 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.47-0.76) in those children with all the threshold values. IMPLICATIONS: Methods used for evaluating outcome of trauma patients have essentially been derived from adult series, and attempts to apply them to children have usually been inaccurate. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with death in severely traumatized children, and Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine threshold values.
Rhombencephalitis due to Listeria monocytogenes is a frequent complication of human listeriosis, inducing a high mortality and severe neurological sequelae despite antibiotic therapy. However, there is no animal model which consistently reproduces clinical rhombencephalitis. Here, we present a model of Listeria rhombencephalitis in gerbils. Animals were inoculated in the middle ears with a low infective dose of L. monocytogenes, thus creating prolonged otitis media with persistent bacteremia. Gerbils developed a severe rhombencephalitis with circling syndrome, paresia, ataxia, rolling movements. The invasion of the central nervous system was visualized on living animals by resonance magnetic imaging and characterized by bacterial growth in the brain, reaching about 10(7) bacteria in the rhombencephalum by day 12 of infection. The histological lesions were mainly located in the brainstem, and consisted in coalescent, necrotic abscesses with perivascular sheaths, mimicking those observed in human rhombencephalitis. Bacteria were detected by electronmicroscopy inside infectious foci, either free in necrotic material or inside inflammatory cells, mainly polymorphonuclear cells. This gerbil model of Listeria rhombencephalitis will be useful to study the molecular mechanisms allowing bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier, and to evaluate the intracerebral efficacy of antibiotics.