Paediatric Anaesthesia

In high-resource settings most paediatric anaesthesia is undertaken by specialist or subspecialist practitioners. In remote and resource-poor settings it is usual for anaesthetists to care for all ages of patient, and paediatrics can therefore form a large part of the non-specialist’s workload. The chapter contains essential knowledge for the non-specialist paediatric anaesthetist, including equipment sizing, drug doses, and fluid therapy, mostly in handy ‘quick-look’ tables. The presentation and management of common perioperative comorbidities such as malnutrition and sickle cell anaemia are also discussed. The bulk of the chapter covers practical advice on anaesthesia for a range of common paediatric and neonatal surgeries.

Download Full-text

Drugs and transfusion

Global Anaesthesia ◽

10.1093/med/9780198809821.003.0004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 55-76

Author(s):

Phil Blum ◽

Chris Bowden ◽

Tom Coonan

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Muscle Relaxants ◽

Major Difficulty ◽

Practical Advice ◽

The Core ◽

High Resource ◽

Anaesthetic Agents ◽

The World ◽

Resource Poor

The chapter covers drugs in common use in resource-poor settings that may be unfamiliar to anaesthetists practising in high-resource settings, primarily ketamine and the volatile anaesthetic agents halothane and ether. Ketamine is one of the core drugs in use in resource-poor environments and as such a significant proportion of the chapter is given over to it: how it works, side effects and how to attenuate them and useful ketamine ‘recipes’. It also contains advice on ‘workarounds’ when other familiar drugs are unavailable, e.g. vasopressors, muscle relaxants. Lastly, blood transfusion is a major difficulty in most parts of the world and this chapter gives practical advice on dealing with this reality.

Download Full-text

Anaesthesia Equipment and Utilities

Global Anaesthesia ◽

10.1093/med/9780198809821.003.0003 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 39-54

Author(s):

Michael Dobson ◽

Robert Neighbour ◽

Matt Wilkes

Keyword(s):

Medical Team ◽

Practical Advice ◽

Anaesthetic Practice ◽

Anaesthetic Equipment ◽

High Resource ◽

Anaesthesia Equipment ◽

Resource Poor ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Do It Yourself ◽

Set Up

The chapter covers anaesthetic equipment that may not be familiar to anaesthetists practising in high-resource settings. Primarily this means draw-over anaesthesia equipment—recognition, set-up, usage in adults and children, and practical tips. How to maintain your equipment yourself so that it continues to function safely is covered. The chapter also considers the two basic utilities of anaesthetic practice that are often taken for granted in high-resource settings—oxygen and electricity—and how to cope with an unpredictable supply of both. Hygiene and sterilization, a responsibility that often falls to the medical team in resource-poor settings, is also covered with practical advice on how to do it yourself.

Download Full-text