Pediatrics Flashcards
What is overarchign difference between peds and most adults?
- Complete lack of reserve
- decompensation different from adults
- 82% of arrests in OR occur on inducation
- when you put child to sleep, before IV started
How do you caculate PGA?
Post-gestational age
weeks gestation @ birth +current age in weeks
What is a neonate? Preterm?
neonate= birht - 30 days
preterm <37 weeks
low birth weigth <2500 grams
What is extremely low gestational age (ELGAN)
23-27 weeks gestations; all organs immature
most vulnerable peds patient
What are pre-terms at risk for?
- Respiratory distress
- apnea
- hypoglycemia
- electolyte disturbance (particularly hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia)
- infection
- hyperbilirubinemia
- polycythemia
- thrombocytopenia
What is PGA that is most at risk for postoperative apnea and bradycardia?
anything <60 weeks PGA are at an increased risk for postop apnea and bradycardia
- Requires postop monitoring and admission
- Duration of anesthesia and anesthesia depth does not make difference in risk post op apnea
What are cardiovascular changes that occur at birth?
- At birth, the placenta is no longer the primary source for oxygenated blood
- primary changes that occur
- ductus venosus closes
- ductus arteriosus closes (due to increased PaO2)
- pulmonary vascular resistance DECREASES
- Peripheral vascular resistance increases
- foramen ovale closes
What is transitional circulation?
transitional circulation
- occurs at birht for the first several weeks
- factors that can lead to increased pulmonary artery pressure, reversal of flow through foramen ovale, reopening of ductus arteriosus and shunting are:
- hypercapnia
- hypothermia
- hypoxia
- This hypoxia is difficult to correct
- the ductus arteriosis, foramen ovale are only functionally closed
How can you test preductal ABG? Post ductal?
- Preductal- RUE
- Post ductal- LLE, umbilical artery or femoral
What is pulmonary vascular resistance and systemic circulatory resistance like in fetus?
High pulmonary vascular resistance
low systemic ciruclatory resistance
minimal intrauterine pulmonary blood flow: only 10% of CO
What are some characteristics of the newborn heart?
- Structurally immature
- fewer myofibrils
- sarcoplasmic reticulum immature and cardiac calcium stores are reduced (greater dependency on serum ionized ca)
-
ventricles are less compliant
- do not see increase in Co with increase in preload like in adult
- CO is HR dependent
-
baroreceptor reflex immature in neonates
- inability to substantilaly compensate of rhypotension with reflex tachycardia
-
Neonatal heart has PSNS dominance
- sympathetic nervous system is immature
- tendency to have bradycardia with suctioning and laryngoscopy
What is resting CO for neonate? infant? adolescent?
- Neonate at birth 400mL/kg/min
- Infant is 200 mL/min
- Adolescent is 100mL/kg/min
What is preferred drug to treat bradycardia in children?
Epinephrine rather than atropine because epi increases HR as well as contractility in peds
Differences in pulmonary system in children?
- Alveoli increase in number and size up until 8yo
- infants: small airway diameter; increased resistance
- highly compliant airway and chest wall
- early fatigue of diaphragmatic and intercostal muscles until age 2
- type 1 muscle fibers not mature (these are the ones that help us run marathons)
- type II fatigue easily
- why kids wear out fast
- O2 consumption is 2-3 x the adult with increased alveolar ventilation
- angulation of right mainstem bronchus
- comes off at higher angle
- also shorter distance
What is O2 consumption in neonate c/t adults
alveolar ventilation?
RR?
TV?
Neonate
- O2 consumption 6mL/kg/min
- Alveolar ventilation 130 mL/kg/min
- RR 35 bpm
- Tidal voluem 6mL/kg
Adult
- O2 consumption 3.5 mL/kg/min
- Alveolar ventilation 60 mL/kg/min
- RR 15 bpm
- TV: 6 mL/kg
Bascially, neonate has 2x the O2 consumption, double the alveolar ventilation and respiratory rate, but same TV mL/kg as adult
Difference in airway in infants?
- Larger tongue in smaller submental space
- higher larnyx (C2-C4)
- Omega shaped epiglottis- narrower, more dififcult to lift
- Angled vocal cords (slant caudally)
-
funnel shaped larynx with narrowest region @ cricoid ring
- Current recommendation is to use cuff tube, monitoring cuff pressure to maintain <20
- if using cuff tube, size down 1/2 size
- obligate nasal breathers
- large occiputs and the sniffing positon is favored for axis alignment
- endentulous
- short trachea (4-5 cm)

What is gas flow like in young children?
- Young children have elvated airawy resistance at baseline
- tubulent airflow is present to the 5th bronchial division
- a 50% reducitonin radius increases the pressure 32 fold
- Very prone to respiratory distress with any upper airway irritation or swelliing
- Resistance in Laminar flow is 1/radius^4. Resistance in Turbulent flow 1/radius ^5
- Diameter of small airways (divisions) does not increase significantly until age 5

What is neurological system like in peds? Concern with anesthesia and brain development?
O2 consumption? Cerebral blood flow? myelinization?
When do fontanels close?
-
Oxygen consumption and CBF in the brain of children is 50% greater than adults
- Child o2 brain consumption is 5.5 mL/100g/min
- Adult is 3.5 mL/100g/min
- Child CBF is 70-110mL/min/100g vs 50 mL/min/100g in adults
- Child o2 brain consumption is 5.5 mL/100g/min
-
myelinizationa nd synaptic connection not complete until age 3-4
- may experience more pain than adults
- nervous sytem is anatomically complete at birth
- functionally it remains immature with the continuation of myelination and synaptogenesis. myelination usually complete by 7 yo
- rapid growth of brain in first 2 years of life
-
fontanels: anterior fontanel closed by 18 mo. Posterior frontanel closed by 2 months
- check for hydration and open state
-
Anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity: our knowledge still growing in the area
- increased and accelerated neuroapoptosis with virtually all anesthetics
- single exposure of short duration is usually of no consequence
- repeated and or prolonged exposures at young age (3-4 yo) may be associated with later behavioral and learning difficulties- we do not have conclusive evidence
- hold off on elective procedures until after >3-4 yo
Pain in pediatrics?
- Somatic pain: conveyed in part by unmeylinated C fibers “slow”
- leads to protective reflexes such as autonomic reactions, muscle contraction and rigidity
- C-fibers are fully functional from early fetal life onward
- connection b/w c fibers and dorsal horn neuron are not mature before the second week of postnatal life but nociceptive stimulations transmitted to the dorsal horn by C fibers elicit long-lasting resposnes
- more profound and longer response to pain
- neonates can have exaggerated responses to nociceptive
- inhibitory contorl pathways are immature at birht and develop over the first 2 weeks
-
Painful procedure during the neonatal period modify subsequent pain responses in infancy and childhood
- preemptive analgesia leads to a reduciton in the magnitude of long-term changes in pain behaviors
-
Must use a painscale appropriate to the developmental level of the child (<3 yo usually unable to self report)
- procedural pain in infants and young children: common to use FLACC scale (face, legs, activity, cry, consolability)

What are some neuraxial considerations in peds?
- Conus medularis ends at approximately L1 in adults and L2-L3 in neonates and infants
- migrates to level L1-L2 by age 3
- In infants, the line across the top of both iliac creast (intercristal line) crosses the vertebral column at the L4-L5 or L5-S1 intersapce, well below termination of the spinal cord
- The dural sac in neonates and infants also terminates in a more caudad location compared ot adults, usually about level of S3, compared to adult level of S1
- Infants: lack of lumbar lordosis compared to older children predisposes the infant to high spinal blockade with change in postioniong
- goes more cephalad

What is the renal system like in peds?
- GFR significantly impaired at birth but improves throughout 1st year
- greatest impairement is 1st 4 weeks of life
- renal maturation will be delayed further with prematurity
- Renal tubular concnetration abilities do not achieve full capacity until 2 yo
- Half-life of meds excreted by GF are prolonged in very young
- in contrast, during childhood, renal clearance rate may increase to levels higher than even adult clearance rates
- 1st year-2 yrs immaturity until toddler–> increase BF and filtration normal, so they filter faster and may see increase in clearance rate
- in contrast, during childhood, renal clearance rate may increase to levels higher than even adult clearance rates
-
premature infants at high risk for hyponatremia because proximal absorption are impaired
- as many as one-third of elbw neonates develop hyponatremia
What are some characteristics of the pediatric liver?
- Liver enzymes are developing up until 1 yo
-
phase I cyp450 system is 50% of adult values at birth
- phase 1 reactions responsible for majority of drug metabolism in liver via cyp450. 3A4= ~50%, 2D6~ 10-20%
-
Phase II (conjugation reactions) are impaired in neonates
- long half life of BZD and morphine
- decreased bili breakdown due to reduction in glucuronyl tranferase (leading to jaundice)
- glucuronyl tranferase is needed for metabolism of tylenol
- these reactions make drugs more water soluble to facilitate excretion
-
hepatic synthesis of clotting factors reach adult levels within a week of birth
- at birth, vit K-dependent factors (II, VII, IX, and X ) are 20-50^ adult values. In preterm, even less
- Lower levels of albumin/other proteins for durg binding in newobrns- larger proportion of unbounnd drug circulating
- minimal glycogen stores- prone to hypoglycemia
What are some characteristics of GI system in kids?
-
Coordination of sweallowing with respiration is not mature until 4-5 months of age- high incidence of reflux especially in pre-terms
- infant <5 mo are obligate nose breathers
- gastric juices are less acidic (more neutral) up to ~3 yo
-
absorption of oral meds is generally slower compared to adults (kids don’t absorb meds as well)
- the GI tract is generally slower in children than in adults
- children have diff in gastric pH, emptying time, intestinal transit, immaturity of secretions and activity of both bile and pancreatic fluid
What is thermoregulation like in the infant?
- Large surface area to body weight
- lack of subcutaneous tissue as an insulator
- inability to shiver
- metabolize brown fat to increase heat production
- can lead to metabolic acidosis and
- increased O2 consumption
- metabolize brown fat to increase heat production
- factors: cold OR, anesthetic induced vasodilation, room temp IV fluids, evaporativ eheat loss from sx site, cool irrigating solutions on field, cool/dry anesthetic gases
-
Active warming is critical
- warm OR, use warming mattress, incubators, cover with blankets, head coverings (up to 60% head loss here), transprot in isolette, humidify gases, use plastic wrap on skin, warm prep and irrigation solution, change wet diapers and remove wet clothing
- forced air warmers, most effective strategy to minimize heat loss in surgery for children <1 yo
- Anesthetics alter non-shivering thermogenesis in neonates





