Quality Improvement Protocol to Reduce Excessive Postoperative Recovery Following Cleft Palate Repair.
Pediatric Anesthesia
Reviewed January 2026 by Dr Tom Walker
This Australian single-centre quality improvement (QI) study focussed on the anaesthetic management of children undergoing cleft palate repair with the primary aim of reducing PACU length of stay. ...
Comparison of analgesic efficacy and safety of caudal dexmedetomidine versus intranasal dexmedetomidine in paediatric infraumbilical surgeries
A randomised controlled trial
European Journal of Anaesthesiology
Reviewed January 2026 by Dr Matt Hart
This randomised, double-blind non-inferiority trial compared the analgesic efficacy and safety of caudal dexmedetomidine versus intranasal dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to a single-shot caudal block...
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Intrathecal versus Caudal Morphine-Bupivacaine on Postoperative Analgesia and Cortisol Levels in Pediatric Patients
Bupivacaine on Postoperative Analgesia and Cortisol Levels in Pediatric Patients
Anesthesia Analgesia
Reviewed September 2025 by Dr Stephanie Pauling
This study compared the analgesic outcomes of caudal morphine and bupivacaine with intrathecal morphine and bupivacaine in patients aged 1-5 having general, urological and orthopaedic surgery below...
Is the Compassion of Anesthesiologists Associated With Postoperative Pain and Patient Experience? A Prospective Cohort Study
Anesthesia Analgesia
Reviewed September 2025 by Dr Andrew O’Donoghue
This study, published in Anaesthesia & Analgesia (2025), investigates the role of anaesthesiologist compassion in shaping postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing same-day surgery. The...
Prolonged opioid use after surgery in children, adolescents, and young adults
A systematic review
Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia
Reviewed July 2025 by Dr Maximiliane Beck
Persistent use of opioids after surgery remains a significant concern in the paediatric population and has been the subject of debate, particularly in North America. In Australia, between 2013 and...
Regional Analgesia in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis
Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anaesthesia
Reviewed July 2025 by Dr Aisling Gormley
This meta-analysis compared the effect of 13 different epidural and regional anaesthetic techniques (ERATs) on opioid consumption and pain scores in paediatric patients following cardiothoracic...
Optimizing pediatric tonsillectomy outcomes with an opioid sparing anesthesia protocol
Learning and continuously improving with real-world data
Pediatric Anesthesia
Reviewed March 2025 by Dr David Kinchington
This paper is a perspective piece primarily providing insight into how one ambulatory surgical centre utilised quality improvement processes supported by new generation artificial intelligence (AI)...
Analgesic efficacy and safety of erector spinae plane block in pediatric patients undergoing elective surgery
A systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Journal of Clinical Anesthesia
Reviewed March 2025 by Dr Matt Hart
This systematic review and meta-analysis compared analgesic efficacy and safety between erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and controls in paediatric surgical patients. The primary outcome analysed...
Comparison of postoperative pain in children after maintenance anaesthesia with propofol or sevoflurane
A systematic review and meta-analysis
British Journal of Anaesthesia
Reviewed August 2024 by Dr Rory Walsh
This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials that compared post-operative pain between sevoflurane and propofol anaesthesia in children. The primary outcome was...
Parents' perspective on recovery at home following adenotonsillectomy
A prospective single-centre qualitative analysis
Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia
Reviewed September 2023 by Dr Patrick Cowie
Summary: This article explores parental experiences following paediatric adenotonsillectomy. The authors recruited parents of children having adenotonsillectomy over a year-long period at Montreal’s...
Acute pain management in the neonate
Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine
Reviewed January 2023 by Dr David Sainsbury
This is an educational article discussing the management of mainly post-surgical pain in neonates from a group of authors based at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in the UK. It has sections on...
What we know and what we don't know about the perioperative use of methadone in children and adolescents
Pediatric Anesthesia
Reviewed March 2023 by Dr Sorcha Evans
Summary This review article looks at methadone use in the paediatric perioperative population summarising the benefits and risks. A brief description of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is...
Measures to prolong duration of sensory block after regional anaesthesia
Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology
Reviewed January 2023 by Dr Derek Rosen
This review article discusses the evidence for the different techniques used to prolong sensory neural blockade. Of the commonly used adjuvants dexamethasone (perineural 4mg, followed by intravenous...
Scheduled methadone reduces overall opioid requirements after pediatric posterior spinal fusion
A single center retrospective case series
Pediatric Anesthesia
Reviewed September 2022 by Dr Bojana Stepanovic
What? - A retrospective chart review of 94 patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis between 2015 and 2020 at the American Family Children’s Hospital,...
Bilateral erector spinae plane blocks in children undergoing cardiac surgery
A randomized, controlled study
Journal of Clinical Anesthesia
Reviewed September 2022 by Dr Neil Hauser
This small, randomized control study of 40 patients investigated the utility of erector spinae plane blocks (ESPB) in paediatric sternotomy for cardiac procedures. The primary outcome was cumulative...
