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Research
Impact of a revised postoperative care plan on pain and recovery trajectory following pediatric tonsillectomyA previous cohort of adenotonsillectomy patients at our institution demonstrated moderate-severe post-tonsillectomy pain scores lasting a median (range) duration of 6 (0-23) days and postdischarge nausea and vomiting affecting 8% of children on day 1 following surgery. In this subsequent cohort, we evaluate the impact of changes to our discharge medication and parental education on post-tonsillectomy pain and recovery profile.
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The impact of surgical cancellations on children, families, and the health system in an Australian paediatric tertiary referral hospitalReasons for elective surgery cancelations and their impact vary from one institution to another. Cancelations have emotional and financial implications for patients and their families. Our service has a particularly broad and geographically diverse patient population; hence, we sought to examine these impacts in our service.
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A comparison of videolaryngoscopy using standard blades or non-standard blades in children in the Paediatric Difficult Intubation RegistryThe design of a videolaryngoscope blade may affect its efficacy. We classified videolaryngoscope blades as standard and non-standard shapes to compare their efficacy performing tracheal intubation in children enrolled in the Paediatric Difficult Intubation Registry.
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The plural of anecdote is not data, please mind the gapThe COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges to everyone in society but particularly so to every aspect of medical practice. It is bewildering how quickly the profession has had to respond to rapidly changing clinical landscape. Our well-established methods involve collecting and analyzing data to generate an evidence base which is then disseminated and implemented into routine clinical practice.

The vision of the Perioperative Medicine Team is to make discoveries that will improve children’s perioperative care and lead to global practice change.
Research
Patient and carer priorities for research and clinical care of children with Down syndromeDown syndrome, the most common genetic disorder, is caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. We identified the top 10 patient and carer research priorities for children with Down syndrome.
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Caudal block, high flow oxygen insufflation and dexmedetomidine sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in infants—A prospective evaluation of an alternative anesthesia techniqueInguinal hernia repair is the most common operation in infants, with well recognized anesthetic and perioperative risks. The aim was to investigate if the combination of caudal block, high-flow nasal oxygen insufflation and intravenous dexmedetomidine sedation is suitable for infants undergoing inguinal hernia surgery.
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Airborne personal protective equipment availability and preparedness in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units: A point prevalence surveyPersonal protective equipment is essential to protect healthcare workers when exposed to aerosol-generating procedures in patients with airborne respiratory pathogens.
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Prior administration of chocolate improves the palatability of bitter drugs: The Choc-with-Med studyThe paediatric population has a low adherence and acceptance rate of unpalatable medicines. This study aimed to determine whether eating chocolate immediately prior to drug administration would help to mask the bitter taste of a drug. The difference in taste masking efficacy between white, milk and dark chocolate was a secondary measure outcome.
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Error traps in pediatric difficult airway managementDifficult airway management in children is associated with significant morbidity. This narrative review on error traps in airway management aims to highlight the common pitfalls and proposes solutions to optimize best practices for pediatric difficult airway management. We have categorized common errors of pediatric difficult airway management into three main error traps.