PEDIATRIC REGIONAL ANESTHESIA

Course overview

PAIN RELIEF IN CHILDREN UNDERGOING SURGERY IS OFTEN AN UNMET CRITICAL NEED. LANDMARK GUIDED BLOCKS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN UNTOWARD INCIDENCE OF ADVERSE EVENTS. THE ADVENT OF THE ULTRA-SONOGRAM (USG) IN THE OPERATING ROOM HAS RESULTED IN A PARADIGM SHIFT, WITH MANY PRACTITIONERS ADAPTING REGIONAL MODALITIES FOR PAIN RELIEF, EVEN IN SMALL CHILDREN. THE MARGIN FOR ERROR IS MUCH SMALLER IN CHILDREN COMPARED TO ADULTS AND IS EVEN SMALLER IN INFANTS. THE USG HAS HELPED NAVIGATE THIS CHALLENGING LANDSCAPE, ENABLING SAFE ADMINISTRATION OF REGIONAL ANESTHESIA. REGIONAL BLOCKS HAVE FORMED AN INTEGRAL PART OF A NUMBER OF ENHANCED RECOVERY PROTOCOLS IN CHILDREN, RESULTING IN BETTER, FASTER RECOVERY AND BETTER SATISFACTION. THIS ACTIVITY PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES GUIDING REGIONAL ANESTHETIC PRACTICE IN PEDIATRICS AND THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENT RECOVERY AFTER PEDIATRIC SURGERIES.