[Regional anesthesia procedures in childhood: Austrian interdisciplinary recommendations on pediatric perioperative pain management]

Abstract

Regional anesthesia should be used for children whenever possible and is an essential element of a multimodal pain management. The prerequisites for a safe and effective procedure are detailed knowledge of the anatomical, physiological and pharmacological differences in childhood, the use of age-appropriate equipment and rapid recognition and treatment of possible complications. Extensive experience in pediatric as well as regional anesthesia is essential. The rule for selection of the ideal regional anesthesia procedure for each individual patient is: as central as necessary and as peripheral as possible. A risk-benefit assessment must always be carried out. Very specialized techniques, such as thoracic and lumbar epidural anesthesia in childhood must be reserved for specialist pediatric anesthesia centers because experience is necessary which can only be acquired and maintained from a large number of cases. Technically simple procedures, such as caudal anesthesia, penis root block and wound infiltration are, however, also very effective. Even if the evidence is still lacking, ultrasound-guided placement of regional anesthesia is nowadays the method of choice for children. The use will lead to an increased level of acceptance and user-friendliness of the procedure in childhood. This article presents recommendations which demonstrate those points that must be generally observed when carrying out regional anesthesia in children. An overview of the regional anesthesia procedure in children is given.