Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that the clinical phenomena of preoperative anxiety, emergence delirium, and postoperative maladaptive behavioral changes were closely related. We examined this issue using data obtained by our laboratory over the past 6 years. Only children who underwent surgery and general anesthesia using sevoflurane/O(2)/N(2)O and who did not receive midazolam were recruited. Children's anxiety was assessed preoperatively with the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), emergence delirium was assessed in the postanesthesia care unit, and behavioral changes were assessed with the Post Hospital Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14. Regression analysis showed that the odds of having marked symptoms of emergence delirium increased by 10% for each increment of 10 points in the child's state anxiety score (mYPAS). The odds ratio of having new-onset postoperative maladaptive behavior changes was 1.43 for children with marked emergence status as compared with children with no symptoms of emergence delirium. A 10-point increase in state anxiety scores led to a 12.5% increase in the odds that the child would have a new-onset maladaptive behavioral change after the surgery. This finding is highly significant to practicing clinicians, who can now predict the development of adverse postoperative phenomena, such as emergence delirium and postoperative behavioral changes, based on levels of preoperative anxiety.

Depending on the music therapist, interactive music therapy may relieve anxiety on separation and entrance to the operating room but appears less effective during the induction of anesthesia.

Over the past 7 yr there have been significant increases in the number of anesthesiologists who use preoperative sedative premedication and parental presence for children undergoing surgery.

In this randomized sham-controlled study we examined the anxiolytic and sedative effects of acupressure on parents in the preoperative holding area before their children's surgery. Sixty-one parents received acupressure either at the Yintang point (midpoint between the two eyebrows) or at a sham point. Anxiety (as measured by the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory), arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed before and after the intervention and a Bispectral Index monitor was used to continuously monitor hypnotic sedation levels. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed that parents in the acupressure group reported significantly less anxiety at 20 min post-intervention as compared with parents in the sham group (37 +/- 10 versus 45 +/- 13, P = 0.03). Bispectral Index values, heart rate, and arterial blood pressure, however, did not differ between the two study groups (P = not significant). We conclude that acupressure at the Yintang point may be used as a treatment for parental preoperative anxiety. Future studies are needed to quantify the magnitude and duration of the anxiolytic effect.

Previous studies have indicated that music decreases intraoperative sedative requirements in patients undergoing surgical procedures under regional anesthesia. In this study we sought to determine whether this decrease in sedative requirements results from music or from eliminating operating room (OR) noise. A secondary aim of the study was to examine the relationship of response to intraoperative music and participants' culture (i.e., American versus Lebanese). Eighty adults (36 American and 54 Lebanese) undergoing urological procedures with spinal anesthesia and patient-controlled IV propofol sedation were randomly assigned to intraoperative music, white noise, or OR noise. We found that, controlling for ambient OR noise, intraoperative music decreases propofol requirements (0.004 +/- 0.002 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1) versus 0.014 +/- 0.004 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1) versus 0.012 +/- 0.002 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1); P = 0.026). We also found that, regardless of group assignment, Lebanese patients used less propofol as compared with American patients (0.005 +/- 0.001 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1) versus 0.017 +/- 0.003 mg . kg(-1) . min(-1); P = 0.001) and that, in both sites, patients in the music group required less propofol (P < 0.05). We conclude that when controlling for ambient OR noise, intraoperative music decreases propofol requirements of both Lebanese and American patients who undergo urological surgery under spinal anesthesia.

Cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown in adults to activate platelets and leukocytes, lead to the formation of circulating platelet-leukocyte conjugates, and alter adhesive receptors on both cell types. Pediatric patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, however, have not been extensively studied and may represent a group at particular clinical risk for bleeding and pulmonary dysfunction. We studied 13 patients with congenital heart disease undergoing operations necessitating bypass, 7 with cyanotic and 6 with noncyanotic congenital heart disease. We determined that (1) the surface density of platelet glycoprotein Ib was significantly lower at baseline and throughout bypass in patients with cyanotic heart disease than in noncyanotic patients; (2) platelet glycoprotein Ib in both cyanotic and noncyanotic congenital heart disease decreased significantly during bypass, with a nadir of 75 % of baseline values; (3) platelets were activated to a high degree, comparable with that seen in adults; (4) mean circulating monocyte-platelet conjugates rose significantly during bypass, increasing from 36 % to 66 % by the end of bypass, whereas neutrophil-platelet conjugates and lymphocyte-platelet conjugates declined; and (5) both monocytes and neutrophils were activated by cardiopulmonary bypass, as assessed by increased surface expression of CDllb and, in the case of monocytes, CDllb expression continued to increase even after termination of bypass. Patients with cyanotic and noncyanotic heart disease did not differ with respect to platelet or leukocyte activation or the formation of platelet-leukocyte conjugates. We conclude that in children with congenital heart disease cardiopulmonary bypass causes loss of platelet adhesion receptors, activation of platelets, formation of platelet-leukocyte conjugates, and leukocyte activation. Cyanotic and noncyanotic patients are qualitatively similarly affected; however, cyanotic patients demonstrate a baseline deficit in the platelet adhesion receptor glycoprotein lb. These ceUular changes may contribute to both the hemostatic and inflammatory complications associated with cardiopulmonary bypass.

The authors found no increased incidence of emergence delirium, maladaptive postoperative behavior changes, or sleep disturbances in children undergoing anesthesia with sevoflurane as compared with halothane.

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