Pediatric AnesthesiaPub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-05-30DOI: 10.1111/pan.15132
Alexander B Froyshteter, Alina Lazar, Ashlee E Holman, Geoff Frawley, Emmett E Whitaker
{"title":"Error Traps in Infant Spinal Anesthesia.","authors":"Alexander B Froyshteter, Alina Lazar, Ashlee E Holman, Geoff Frawley, Emmett E Whitaker","doi":"10.1111/pan.15132","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pan.15132","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infant spinal anesthesia is a viable alternative to general anesthesia for short procedures below the upper abdomen. It provides a hemodynamically stable anesthetic technique that avoids airway manipulation and associated respiratory complications. Spinal anesthesia allows surgery to be performed without inhaled anesthetic agents or, in certain cases, opioids. This manuscript highlights five preventable perioperative error traps that may occur while performing infant spinal anesthesia with the goal of providing expert clinical guidance for the provision of safe, effective, and efficient spinal anesthesia in pediatric patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":"598-606"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144187555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric AnesthesiaPub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-09DOI: 10.1111/pan.15139
Jan J van Wijk, Sanne E Hoeks, Irwin K M Reiss, Robert Jan Stolker, Lonneke M Staals
{"title":"Oxygenation Practices During General Anesthesia in Pediatric Patients: An International Survey in Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.","authors":"Jan J van Wijk, Sanne E Hoeks, Irwin K M Reiss, Robert Jan Stolker, Lonneke M Staals","doi":"10.1111/pan.15139","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pan.15139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>At present, there is a growing body of knowledge regarding the benefits and risks associated with oxygen use in medical practice. In the perioperative period, high fractions of inspiratory oxygen are used during airway management. However, oxygen can have direct toxic effects, as well as systemic effects. In different fields of medicine, protocols exist to limit the use of oxygen, for example, in the intensive care unit and emergency department. However, in pediatric perioperative care, such protocols do not exist. We conducted an international survey among pediatric anesthesiologists to assess their daily practices regarding oxygen use during non-cardiac surgery. The objective of this survey was to determine self-reported perioperative oxygen use across several key areas: the default oxygen settings on anesthesia machines, the prevalence of preoxygenation, the fraction of inspiratory oxygen used intraoperatively, and considerations regarding the intraoperative administration of oxygen.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online digital survey consisting of up to 21 questions in LimeSurvey was developed and sent to 5667 members of various international pediatric anesthesia societies (ESPA, APAGBI, SPA, SPANZA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 828 responses were received (response rate 15%). The median reported default inspiratory oxygen (FiO<sub>2</sub>) value of anesthesia machines was 100% (IQR 30%-100%). Preoxygenation was used by 50% of the respondents, usually with 100% oxygen. 87% of respondents reported to titrate FiO<sub>2</sub> intraoperatively, mainly based on pulse oximetry values. Median standard percentage of oxygen intraoperatively was 35% (IQR 30%-40%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Oxygen administration practices during pediatric anesthesia are hardly regulated. There are opportunities to further limit the use of oxygen. For instance, default settings can be lowered, and intraoperative FiO<sub>2</sub> can be further titrated, mainly based on SpO<sub>2</sub>.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":"643-648"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12233042/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144249057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric AnesthesiaPub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-04-19DOI: 10.1111/pan.15114
Robert P Moore, Jamie L Romeiser, Maheen Khan, Susannah Oster, Paige Olsen, Karen Li, Ayesha Khan, Helen Hsieh, Eric Noll, Elliott Bennett-Guerrero
{"title":"Insights From the Child's Perspective-Validation of the English Version of the Pictorial Version of the Quality of Recovery-15 Questionnaire.","authors":"Robert P Moore, Jamie L Romeiser, Maheen Khan, Susannah Oster, Paige Olsen, Karen Li, Ayesha Khan, Helen Hsieh, Eric Noll, Elliott Bennett-Guerrero","doi":"10.1111/pan.15114","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pan.15114","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patient-reported outcome measures play a key role in efforts to improve the quality and safety of perioperative care. There are no English-language tools to allow children to directly contribute to these efforts. The primary aim of this study was to examine the validity, reliability, acceptability, and feasibility of the use of an English version of the pictorial Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire in the context of routine pediatric care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective observational study was performed including children aged 5-17 years presenting for care at Stony Brook University Hospital. Participants completed the adapted pictorial QoR-15, a VAS pain scoring, and a satisfaction survey before surgery and on Postoperative Day 1. Statistical methods were similar to prior studies that assessed the properties of the QoR-15. Tests were employed to confirm the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 253 children conormpleted testing. Mean (SD) preoperative and postoperative QOR-15 scores were 131.9 (±15.4) and 125.7 (±26.4), respectively. Of note, QoR-15 scores could range from a total of 0 to 150. Each question was internally consistent and correlated well with the total QoR-15 score. Construct validity tests demonstrated that the tool was able to differentiate between known determinants of poor recovery, including the duration of surgery (Spearman's Rho = -0.35 [CI = -0.45, -0.23]) and length of recovery unit admission (Spearman's Rho = -0.37 [CI = -0.47, -0.25]). Lower average postoperative QoR-15 scores were recorded in the context of higher levels of postoperative pain, defined by a VAS ≥ 7, confirming discriminative validity. The instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's raw alpha of 0.92, and a split-half coefficient of 0.85. These results were consistent across a variety of ages.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Our data suggest that the English-language pictorial QoR-15 has good reliability, acceptability, and responsiveness. This suggests that the tool may allow children to contribute to efforts to both improve and better understand pediatric perioperative care.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>There is no existing English-language tool to allow children to describe the quality of their perioperative experience. This is a key gap in efforts to both understand and improve pediatric care.</p><p><strong>New information added by this study: </strong>This study demonstrates the validity, reliability, acceptability, and feasibility for the use of an English pictorial Quality of Recovery questionnaire.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":"627-634"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143985979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In This Issue September 2025.","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/pan.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.70021","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144732631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Melissa Brooks Peterson, Justin L Lockman, Myron Yaster
{"title":"Editor's Picks for the Pediatric Anesthesia Article of the Day: February 2025.","authors":"Melissa Brooks Peterson, Justin L Lockman, Myron Yaster","doi":"10.1111/pan.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.70015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144691180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jonas Aebli, Vera Bohnenblust, Gabriela Koepp-Medina, Sara Ahsani-Nasab, Markus Huber, Robert Greif, Nicola Disma, Thomas Riva, Thomas Riedel, Alexander Fuchs
{"title":"Lung Volume Change Under Apnoeic Oxygenation With Different Flow Rates in Children: A Single-Centre Prospective Randomized Controlled Non-Inferiority Trial.","authors":"Jonas Aebli, Vera Bohnenblust, Gabriela Koepp-Medina, Sara Ahsani-Nasab, Markus Huber, Robert Greif, Nicola Disma, Thomas Riva, Thomas Riedel, Alexander Fuchs","doi":"10.1111/pan.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High-flow oxygen in children prolongs the apnea time. The exact mechanism remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This study investigated whether low- and high-flow nasal oxygen are non-inferior to very high-flow oxygen in preventing lung volume loss during apnoea in children under general anesthesia. We also examined whether early onset oxygen using the Optiflow Switch cannula reduces lung volume loss compared to conventional late-onset application. Finally, we assessed the timing and regional distribution of lung volume changes using electrical impedance tomography (EIT).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a single center randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. After Ethics Committee approval and informed consent, we recruited 108 children (ASA1 and 2, 10-20 kg) undergoing elective general anesthesia. The primary endpoint was the normalized reduction in lung volume in relation to body weight (mL kg<sup>-1</sup>) after termination of facemask ventilation from start to end of apnoea measured with EIT. After induction of anesthesia and neuromuscular blockade, patients were left apnoeic for 5 min receiving humidified and heated oxygen with a high-flow system at different flow rates: (1) Low-flow 0.2 L min<sup>-1</sup> kg<sup>-1</sup>; (2) High-flow 2 L min<sup>-1</sup> kg<sup>-1</sup>; (3) Very high-flow 4 L min<sup>-1</sup> kg<sup>-1</sup>(control group); (4) Early onset of high-flow 2 L min<sup>-1</sup> kg<sup>-1</sup> with Optiflow Switch. Normalization of impedance change to 6-8 mL kg<sup>-1</sup> in relation to body weight and changes in lung volume from start to end of apnoea were measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>89/108 children were analyzed (low-flow n = 20, high-flow n = 24, very high-flow n = 21 and early onset high-flow n = 24.). The estimated mean (95% CI) reduction in lung volume was: low-flow 5.9 (5.3-7.8) mL kg<sup>-1</sup>, high-flow 6.5 (5.3-7.8) mL kg<sup>-1</sup>, very high-flow (control) 5.7 (4.4-7.0) mL kg<sup>-1</sup>, and early onset high-flow 6.7 (5.5-7.9) mL kg<sup>-1</sup>. Non-inferiority could be demonstrated only for the low-flow group compared to the control group.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Apnoeic oxygenation with low-flow is non-inferior to very high-flow regarding lung volume loss in children. An early onset of apnoeic oxygenation after facemask ventilation may delay lung volume loss during apnoea.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144659778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kira Achaibar, Holly Graham, Shammi Kakad, Karolina Wloch, Nu Owase Jeelani, Greg James, A H Dulanka Silva, Juling Ong, Simon Eccles, David Dunaway, Pamela Cupples, Sally Wilmshurst, Kar-Binh Ong, Usman Ali
{"title":"Anesthesia for Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy Repair: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Kira Achaibar, Holly Graham, Shammi Kakad, Karolina Wloch, Nu Owase Jeelani, Greg James, A H Dulanka Silva, Juling Ong, Simon Eccles, David Dunaway, Pamela Cupples, Sally Wilmshurst, Kar-Binh Ong, Usman Ali","doi":"10.1111/pan.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Endoscopic strip craniectomy is a minimally invasive surgical technique offered to infants for craniosynostosis repair. We examine our institution's experience with infants undergoing this surgery with respect to perioperative physiological parameters, transfusion rates, complications, and length of hospital stay.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed an observational retrospective review of all infants undergoing endoscopic strip craniectomy at Great Ormond Street Hospital, UK from 2019 to 2024. Data were collected via the digital health record system EPIC (Epic Systems Corporation [2023], USA) and analyzed in Microsoft Excel.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>One hundred and eleven patients were included in the study undergoing single or multicranial suture repair: metopic (n = 67), unicoronal (n = 27), sagittal (n = 9), frontosphenoidal (n = 2), bicoronal (n = 4), and multisuture (n = 2). We present a mean age of 4.4 months (±1.05 SD), weight 6.95 kg (±1.05 SD), male (n = 66) population predominance, and ASA score from 1 to 3. Surgical procedure time was 73 min (±23 SD) across all sutures, with multisuture repair requiring a longer operative time of 96 min (±15 SD). The overall red cell transfusion rate was 1 in 5 children, with a higher incidence in those undergoing metopic suture repair (18/67, 26%). Mean preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin in the single suture repair group was 114 g/L (±11 g/L SD) and 87 g/L (±13 g/L SD) resulting in a mean reduction in hemoglobin of 26 g/L (±15 g/L SD). Mean preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin in the bilateral or multisuture repair group was 118 g/L (±7.17 g/L SD) and 85.5 g/L (±14.29 g/L SD) resulting in a mean reduction in hemoglobin of 35 g/L (±15 g/L SD). One hundred and six infants (95%) were discharged on Day 1 postoperatively, and no children required high dependency care. Complications reported were inadvertent extubation on positioning (n = 2), laryngospasm (n = 1), and a minor transfusion reaction (n = 1).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Endoscopic strip craniectomy is a well-established minimally invasive surgical technique. Anesthesia for this procedure is typically performed in young infants who may be at greater risk of perioperative anesthetic complications and clinically significant blood loss and blood transfusion. We report a > 20% transfusion rate in our infant cohort mostly with metopic repairs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144575968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Confidence and Competence in Provision of Pediatric Anesthesia in the United Kingdom and Ireland-A National Survey From the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.","authors":"Shivan Kanani, Laurence Hulatt","doi":"10.1111/pan.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.70003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144567648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric AnesthesiaPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-03-22DOI: 10.1111/pan.15098
Giovanna Chidini, Tiziana Marchesi, Stefano Scalia Catenacci, Gaetano Florio, Giorgio Conti, Stefano Lanni, Giovanni Filocamo, Francesca Patria, Marta Guerrini, Gregorio Milani, Giacomo Grasselli
{"title":"Effects of Noninvasive Respiratory Support on Ventilation Distribution During Spontaneous Breathing Sedation in Preschool/School-Aged Children: An Electrical Impedance Tomography Study.","authors":"Giovanna Chidini, Tiziana Marchesi, Stefano Scalia Catenacci, Gaetano Florio, Giorgio Conti, Stefano Lanni, Giovanni Filocamo, Francesca Patria, Marta Guerrini, Gregorio Milani, Giacomo Grasselli","doi":"10.1111/pan.15098","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pan.15098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Procedural sedation interferes with respiratory dynamics in pediatric patients. It reduces lung compliance, causing the closing volume to exceed the functional residual capacity, which can result in airway collapse, atelectasis, and periods of silent desaturation.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>Aims of the study were to clarify the impact of intravenous propofol sedation on ventilation distribution and to evaluate the potential benefits of noninvasive respiratory support (NRS) in restoring the original ventilation distribution pattern by applying the electrical impedance tomography technology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Single-center physiological randomized crossover study comparing two 20-min steps of NRS delivered as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) at different time points: (1) spontaneous breathing (SB-1); (2) spontaneous breathing during sedation (SB-2); (3) CPAP during sedation; (4) NIV during sedation; (5) spontaneous breathing after sedation discontinuation (SB-3). Primary endpoint was regional ventilation delay 40% (RVD40%). Secondary outcomes were global index (GI), end-expiratory lung impedance (EELI), and center of ventilation (CoV).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirteen children were enrolled. RVD40% increased during SB-2 compared to SB-1 (p = 0.014). NIV was effective in reducing it compared to CPAP (p = 0.009) and SB-3 (p = 0.015). NIV was also effective in restoring ventilation homogeneity and lung volume compared to SB-2 by decreasing GI (p = 0.035) and restoring EELI (p = 0.002). During NIV, the center of ventilation increased compared to SB-1 (p = 0.001), SB-2 (p = 0.004), and CPAP (p = 0.004), suggesting that ventilation was shifted toward the ventral areas of the lungs. On the other hand, CPAP was not effective in restoring RVD40, GI, and EELI to SB1 values following the induction of intravenous anesthesia with propofol at SB-2.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this specific ventilatory setting, spontaneous breathing sedation resulted in enhanced ventilation inhomogeneity and a reduction in EELI that could be reversed by NIV but not by CPAP.</p><p><strong>Clinical trials registration: </strong>The trial was registered prior to patient enrollment at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05495477; principal investigator: Giovanna Chidini; date of registration: August 10, 2022). Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines were followed, and the study was conducted according to the Helsinki 1964 Ethical Declaration Standard, revised in 2008.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":"562-572"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12149492/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143677077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pediatric AnesthesiaPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-04-02DOI: 10.1111/pan.15103
Rami Karroum, Thomas Wolski, Laurie J Engler, Lenore France, Scott Boulanger, Tarun Bhalla
{"title":"Decreasing Opioid Usage in Pediatric Cholecystectomy Through Care Standardization: A Quality Improvement Project Using Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols.","authors":"Rami Karroum, Thomas Wolski, Laurie J Engler, Lenore France, Scott Boulanger, Tarun Bhalla","doi":"10.1111/pan.15103","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pan.15103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While enhanced recovery after surgery protocols have been successful in adults, their impact in pediatric surgery is less documented.</p><p><strong>Smart aim: </strong>Reduce opioid use in morphine milligram equivalents by 25% over 32 months through an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol. This period included 5 months dedicated to testing and implementing the protocol, followed by 27 months of full implementation. Process measures ensured adherence, with 30-day readmission rates, pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting, pruritus, and hospital length of stay as balancing measures.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Inconsistent perioperative management led to variable opioid use in pediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients at our hospital. A quality improvement project using the Model for Improvement was implemented at a 443-bed pediatric academic hospital. A multidisciplinary enhanced recovery after surgery team implemented perioperative standardizations supported by electronic medical record best practice advisories, monthly educational sessions, and stakeholder engagement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After full enhanced recovery after surgery protocol implementation, morphine milligram equivalents decreased by 27% over 32 months. Mean pain scores decreased from 4.69 (95% CI: 4.32-5.06) pre-enhanced recovery after surgery to 4.10 (95% CI: 3.84-4.36) post-enhanced recovery after surgery. Postoperative nausea and vomiting incidence decreased from 18% (95% CI: 11.7-26.7) to 15% (95% CI: 9.3-23.3), and pruritus incidence declined from 6% (95% CI: 2.8-12.5) to 5% (95% CI: 2.2-11.2). Mean hospital length of stay was 1.37 days (95% CI: 1.33-1.41) pre-enhanced recovery after surgery and 1.34 days (95% CI: 1.30-1.38) post-enhanced recovery after surgery. The 30-day readmission rate remained unchanged, with the sole readmission attributed to constipation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Standardizing care through enhanced recovery after surgery protocols effectively reduces opioid use in pediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomy without increasing mean postoperative pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting, pruritus, or hospital length of stay.</p>","PeriodicalId":19745,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Anesthesia","volume":" ","pages":"527-534"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143764582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}