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Research

Multimodal analgesia is employed in paediatric pain management to maximise analgesia and minimise side effects. Tramadol is dosed at 1–1.5 mg/kg to treat severe pain in children but the assay for tramadol in plasma samples for pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies does not often consider concurrently administered medications.

News & Events

A research team dedicated to making anaesthesia and surgery safer and more comfortable for babies and children has been awarded an inaugural Byron Kakulas Medal by WA’s Perron Institute.

News & Events

Research projects sharing in a $2.1 million funding boost will seek to translate research findings into changes that benefit patients and help the health system run more efficiently.

Research

Recent studies report conflicting results regarding the relationship between labour epidural analgesia (LEA) in mothers and neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring. We evaluated behavioural and neuropsychological test scores in children of mothers who used LEA.

Research

The administration of inhaled antibiotics to patients with upper or lower respiratory infections is sometimes conducted via a tracheostomy airway. However, precise dosing via this route remains uncertain, especially in spontaneously breathing paediatric patients. 

Research

Peri-operative respiratory adverse events remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children undergoing general anaesthesia; those with asthma are at higher risk. The aim of this feasibility study was to determine whether pre-operative measurements of fractional exhaled nitric oxide and the forced oscillation technique are feasible in children, and to explore whether these measurements can predict peri-operative respiratory adverse events.

Research

Lidocaine is widely used in pediatric anesthesia for airway topicalization to modulate undesirable airway and circulatory reflexes, yet its effectiveness remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of topical lidocaine on respiratory adverse events in children undergoing airway management.

Research

Little evidence exists on the postoperative trajectory after paediatric orthopaedic surgery. Pain and behavioural disturbance can have short- and long-term impacts on children and their families. An improved understanding of procedure-specific postoperative trajectories can enhance recovery. The primary outcome was to examine the duration and severity of postoperative pain experienced by children undergoing 10 commonly performed orthopaedic procedures.

Research

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been thought to increase the risk of respiratory depression from opioids. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether preoperative hypoxaemia by sleep study pulse oximetry imparts greater opioid sensitivity.

Research

Children experience significant pain following extracapsular tonsillectomy surgery, and while opioids are often prescribed to treat this, clinicians may be wary of their adverse side effects, leading to variation in practice. There is a need for improved post-tonsillectomy pain management in children.