Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Peri‐operative cardiac arrest in children as reported to the 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists
Authors' conclusion
The study provides insight into paediatric anaesthetic practice, complications and peri-operative cardiac arrest.
Study context
- Population
- Children undergoing anaesthesia in the UK (7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists)paediatric cardiac arrest reports
- Participants
- 104 children
- Outcome
- Incidence of peri-operative cardiac arrest
Methodological detailsdescriptive study, activity survey, Review themes: inappropriate induction drug choices/doses; bradycardias with high volatile concentrations or airway manipulation; atropine used in place of adrenaline; inadequate monitoring
- Descriptive study
- Activity survey
- Review themes: inappropriate induction drug choices/doses; bradycardias with high volatile concentrations or airway manipulation; atropine used in place of adrenaline; inadequate monitoring
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incidence of paediatric peri-operative cardiac arrest
- Paediatric peri-operative cardiac arrests (share of reports)
- 104 (12%)
- Incidence per anaesthetics
- 3 in 10,000 (95%CI 2.2-3.3 per 10,000)
- Neonates
- 27, 26%
- Infants
- 36, 35%
- Children with congenital heart disease
- 44, 42%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Paediatric anaesthesia annual caseload (activity survey)
- UK paediatric annual caseload
- 390,000 cases, 14% of the UK total
Reports from tertiary centres
- Tertiary centres
- 88, 85%
Precipitants of cardiac arrest in non-cardiac surgery
- Severe hypoxaemia
- 20, 22%
- Bradycardia
- 10, 11%
- Major haemorrhage
- 9, 8%
Causes in cardiac surgery or cardiological procedures
- Cardiac tamponade and isolated severe hypotension featured prominently
Quality of care judged good by the panel
- Children
- 64 (62%)
- Adults
- 371, 52%
Original publication
Peri‐operative cardiac arrest in children as reported to the 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Anaesthesia. Published 18 February 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →