Artificial intelligence is an ever-growing modality revolutionizing the field of medical science. It utilizes various computational models and algorithms and helps out in different sectors of healthcare. Here, in this scoping review, we are trying to evaluate the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of pediatric anesthesia, specifically in the more challenging domain, the pediatric airway. Different components within the domain of AI include machine learning, neural networks, deep learning, robotics, and computer vision. Electronic databases like Google Scholar, Cochrane databases, and Pubmed were searched. Different studies had heterogeneity of age groups, so all studies with children under 18 years of age were included and assessed. The use of AI was reviewed in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative domains of pediatric anesthesia. The applicability of AI needs to be supplemented by clinical judgment for the final anticipation in various fields of medicine.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric regional anesthesia has been driven by the gradual rise in the adoption of opioid-sparing strategies and the growing concern over the possible adverse effects of general anesthetics on neurodevelopment. Nonetheless, performing regional anesthesia studies in a pediatric population is challenging and accounts for the scarce evidence. This study aimed to review the scientific foundation of studies in cadavers to assess regional anesthesia techniques in children.
METHODS: We searched the following databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. We included anatomical cadaver studies assessing peripheral nerve blocks in children. The core data collected from studies were included in tables and comprised block type, block evaluation, results, and conclusion.
RESULTS: The search identified 2409 studies, of which, 16 were anatomical studies on the pediatric population. The techniques evaluated were the erector spinae plane block, ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve block, sciatic nerve block, maxillary nerve block, paravertebral block, femoral nerve block, radial nerve block, greater occipital nerve block, infraclavicular brachial plexus block, and infraorbital nerve block.
CONCLUSIONS: Regional anesthesia techniques are commonly performed in children, but the lack of anatomical studies may result in reservations regarding the dispersion and absorption of local anesthetics. Further anatomical research on pediatric regional anesthesia may guide the practice.

BACKGROUND: Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide. The current standard for securing the airway in patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy is endotracheal tube (ETT) intubation. Several studies have investigated the use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in this procedure. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the safety and efficacy of the LMA versus ETT in adenotonsillectomy.
METHODS: Databases were searched from inception to 2022 for randomized controlled trials and comparative studies. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The primary outcome is the rate of perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). Secondary outcomes included the rate of conversion to ETT, desaturations, nausea/vomiting, and surgical time. A subgroup analysis, risk of bias, publication bias, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessments were also performed.
RESULTS: Twelve studies were included in the analysis (4176 patients). The mean overall conversion to ETT was 8.36% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.17, 8.54], and for the pediatric group 8.27% (95% CI = 8.08, 8.47). The mean rate of conversion to ETT secondary to complications was 2.89% (95% CI = 2.76, 3.03) while the rest was from poor surgical access. Overall, there was no significant difference in PRAEs [odds ratio (OR) 1.16, 95% CI = 0.60, 2.22], desaturations (OR 0.79, 95% CI = 0.38, 1.64), or minor complications (OR 0.89, 95% CI = 0.50, 1.55). The use of LMA yielded significantly shorter operative time (mean difference -4.38 minutes, 95% CI = -8.28, -0.49) and emergence time (mean difference -4.15 minutes, 95% CI = -5.63, -2.67).
CONCLUSIONS: For adenotonsillectomy surgery, LMA is a safe alternative to ETT and requires less operative time. Careful patient selection and judgment of the surgeon and anesthesiologist are necessary, especially given the 8% conversion to ETT rate.

Children undergoing airway management during general anesthesia may experience airway complications resulting in a rare but life-threatening situation known as \"Can\'t Intubate, Can\'t Oxygenate\". This situation requires immediate recognition, advanced airway management, and ultimately emergency front-of-neck access. The absence of standardized procedures, lack of readily available equipment, inadequate knowledge, and training often lead to failed emergency front-of-neck access, resulting in catastrophic outcomes. In this narrative review, we examined the latest evidence on emergency front-of-neck access in children.
A comprehensive literature was performed the use of emergency front-of-neck access (eFONA) in infants and children.
Eighty-six papers were deemed relevant by abstract. Finally, eight studies regarding the eFONA technique and simulations in animal models were included. For all articles, their primary and secondary outcomes, their specific animal model, the experimental design, the target participants, and the equipment were reported.
Based on the available evidence, we propose a general approach to the eFONA technique and a guide for implementing local protocols and training. Additionally, we introduce the application of innovative tools such as 3D models, ultrasound, and artificial intelligence, which can improve the precision, safety, and training of this rare but critical procedure.

Intraoperative electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring under pediatric anesthesia has begun to attract increasing interest, driven by the availability of pediatric-specific EEG monitors and the realization that traditional dosing methods based on patient movement or changes in hemodynamic response often lead to imprecise dosing, especially in younger infants who may experience adverse events (e.g., hypotension) due to excess anesthesia. EEG directly measures the effects of anesthetics on the brain, which is the target end-organ responsible for inducing loss of consciousness. Over the past ten years, research on anesthesia and computational neuroscience has improved our understanding of intraoperative pediatric EEG monitoring and expanded the utility of EEG in clinical practice. We now have better insights into neurodevelopmental changes in the developing pediatric brain, functional connectivity, the use of non-proprietary EEG parameters to guide anesthetic dosing, epileptiform EEG changes during induction, EEG changes from spinal/regional anesthesia, EEG discontinuity, and the use of EEG to improve clinical outcomes. This review article summarizes the recent literature on EEG monitoring in perioperative pediatric anesthesia, highlighting several of the topics mentioned above.

During scoliosis surgery, motor evoked potentials (MEP), and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) have been reported to be affected by the use of higher doses of anesthetic agents. Dexmedetomidine, a sympatholytic agent, an alpha-2 receptor agonist, has been used as an adjunctive agent to lower anesthetic dose. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the effects of dexmedetomidine on the intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring of MEP and SSEP during surgery, particularly among pediatric patients.
This systematic review aimed to determine whether, during spinal fusion surgery in pediatric patients with scoliosis, dexmedetomidine alters MEP amplitude or SSEP latency and amplitude and, if so, whether different doses of dexmedetomidine display different effects (PROSPERO registration number CRD42022300562).
We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library on January 1, 2022 and included randomized controlled trials, observational cohort and case-control studies and case series investigating dexmedetomidine in the population of interest and comparing against a standardized anesthesia regimen without dexmedetomidine or comparing multiple doses of dexmedetomidine. Animal and in vitro studies and conference abstracts were excluded.
We found substantial heterogeneity in the risk of bias (per Cochrane-preferred tools) of the included articles (n = 5); results are summarized without meta-analysis. Articles with the lowest risk of bias indicated that dexmedetomidine was associated with MEP loss and that higher doses of dexmedetomidine increased risk. In contrast, articles reporting no association between dexmedetomidine and MEP loss suffered from higher risk of bias, including suspected or confirmed problems with confounding, outcome measurement, participant selection, results reporting, and lack of statistical transparency and power.
Given the limitations of the studies available in the literature, it would be advisable to conduct rigorous randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes to assess the effects of dexmedetomidine use of in scoliosis surgery in pediatric patients.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is common in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia, and clinicians seek prophylactic interventions to prevent its ill effects on patients as well as its ramifications on perioperative care. We sought to assess the body of evidence around prophylactic strategies, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, targeting pediatric PONV.
We searched MEDLINE, MEDLINE ePubs Ahead of Print and In-Process Citations, Embase Classic+Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane CENTRAL (via the Ovid platform), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Registry, from their inception to 23 September 2022.
Of 188 clinical trials, 157 (83%) investigated pharmacologic interventions, 25 (13%) investigated nonpharmacologic interventions, and six (3%) investigated mixed pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions. The most common surgeries investigated for pediatric PONV were strabismus surgery (68 trials, 36%) and tonsillectomy or tympanoplasty (45 trials, 23%). Of four measurement tools used to assess PONV in the included trials, the most common was clinical judgement (170 trials, 90%).
The majority of data in pediatric PONV prophylaxis is based on pharmacologic interventions, with a paucity of research in nonpharmacologic or mixed interventions. Assessing and documenting PONV using tools such as the Baxter Animated Retching Faces Scale or PONV numeric scoring system may help standardize pediatric PONV prophylaxis research moving forward. Furthermore, concurrently assessing pain and adverse effects associated with PONV might further inform our understanding of this complex clinical entity.
RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les nausées et vomissements postopératoires (NVPO) sont fréquents chez la patientèle pédiatrique bénéficiant d’une anesthésie générale, et les équipes cliniques recherchent des interventions prophylactiques pour prévenir leurs effets néfastes sur les patient·es ainsi que leurs ramifications sur les soins périopératoires. Nous avons cherché à évaluer l’ensemble des données probantes entourant les stratégies prophylactiques pharmacologiques et non pharmacologiques ciblant les NVPO pédiatriques.
Nous avons effectué des recherches dans les bases de données MEDLINE, MEDLINE ePubs Ahead of Print and In-Process Citations, Embase Classic+Embase, la base de données des revues systématiques Cochrane, Cochrane CENTRAL (via la plateforme Ovid), Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), ClinicalTrials.gov, le système d’enregistrement international des essais cliniques de l’OMS et le registre international normalisé des numéros d’essais contrôlés randomisés, depuis leur création jusqu’au 23 septembre 2022.
Sur 188 études cliniques, 157 (83 %) portaient sur des interventions pharmacologiques, 25 (13 %) sur des interventions non pharmacologiques et six (3 %) sur des interventions pharmacologiques et non pharmacologiques mixtes. Les chirurgies les plus fréquemment étudiées pour les NVPO pédiatriques étaient les chirurgies de strabisme (68 études, 36 %) et les amygdalectomies ou tympanoplasties (45 études, 23 %). Parmi les quatre outils de mesure utilisés pour évaluer les NVPO dans les études incluses, le plus fréquemment utilisé était le jugement clinique (170 études, 90 %).
La majorité des données sur les prophylaxies pédiatriques pour prévenir les NVPO sont basées sur des interventions pharmacologiques, avec peu de recherche sur les interventions non pharmacologiques ou mixtes. L’évaluation et la documentation des NVPO à l’aide d’outils tels que l’échelle Baxter Animated Retching Faces Scale ou un système de notation numérique des NVPO peuvent aider à normaliser la recherche sur la prophylaxie pédiatrique des NVPO à l’avenir. De plus, l’évaluation simultanée de la douleur et des effets indésirables associés aux NVPO pourrait éclairer davantage notre compréhension de cette entité clinique complexe.

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Malignant hyperthermia is a rare but life-threatening pharmacogenetic disorder triggered by exposure to specific anesthetic agents. Although this occurrence could affect virtually any patient during the perioperative time, the pediatric population is particularly vulnerable, and it has a five-fold higher incidence in children compared to adults. In the last few decades, synergistic efforts among leading anesthesiology, pediatrics, and neurology associations have produced new evidence concerning the diagnostic pathway, avoiding unnecessary testing and limiting false diagnoses. However, a personalized approach and an effective prevention policy focused on clearly recognizing the high-risk population, defining perioperative trigger-free hospitalization, and rapid activation of supportive therapy should be improved. Based on epidemiological data, many national scientific societies have produced consistent guidelines, but many misconceptions are common among physicians and healthcare workers. This review shall consider all these aspects and summarize the most recent updates.

The most common critical incidents in pediatric anesthesia are perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAEs). The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the preventive effect of dexmedetomidine on PRAEs in children. Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist that provides sedation, anxiolysis and analgesic effects without causing respiratory depression. Dexmedetomidine can diminish airway and circulatory responses during extubation in children. Original randomized controlled trial data were analyzed to study the putative effect of dexmedetomidine on PRAEs. By searched the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and PubMed, a total of ten randomized controlled trials (1,056 patients) was identified. PRAEs included cough, breath holding, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, desaturation (percutaneous oxygen saturation <95%), body movement and pulmonary rales. Compared with placebo, dexmedetomidine resulted in a significant reduction of incidence of cough, breath holding, laryngospasm and emergence agitation. The incidence of PRAEs was significantly reduced in dexmedetomidine compared with active comparators group. Moreover, dexmedetomidine decreased heart rate and increased post-anesthesia care unit stay duration by 11.18 min. The present analysis suggested that dexmedetomidine improved the airway function and decreased risks associated with general anesthesia in children. The present data demonstrated that dexmedetomidine may be a good choice to prevent PRAEs in children.