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Background: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an alpha-2-adrenergic agonist, recently approved by Italian-Medicines-Agency for difficult sedation in pediatrics, but few data exist regarding prolonged infusions in critically-ill children, especially in younger ages. Aim of our study was to evaluate DEX use and safety for prolonged sedation in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs)., Methods: Patients receiving DEX for ≥24 hours were retrospectively evaluated to analyze DEX indications, dosages, use of analgesics or sedatives, adverse events (AEs), withdrawal syndrome or delirium., Results: Forty-seven patients (median 0.7years) from nine PICUs were enrolled. Main indications were adjuvant for drugs sparing (59.6%) and for analgosedation weaning (36.2%). Median infusion duration was 82.0 hours (IQR 62.2-126.0), with dosages between 0.4 (IQR 0.2-0.5) and 0.8 mcg/kg/h (IQR 0.6-1.2). Fifty-nine-percent of patients received other sedatives, 83% other analgesics. Twenty-one-percent presented withdrawal syndrome, 4.2% delirium, none of them DEX-related. Forty-six-percent experienced a potentially-DEX-related AE. AEs were all hemodynamic, 14.9% requiring intervention but none DEX interruption. The median minimum and maximum dosages were significantly higher in patients with AEs (0.5 vs. 0.3,P=0.001; 1.0 vs. 0.7,P<0.001), without correlations with the infusion duration. AEs rate was higher in patients receiving benzodiazepines (P=0.020) or more than one analgesic (P=0.003) and in those presenting withdrawal syndrome (P<0.001)., Conclusions: DEX was confirmed as useful and relatively safe drug for prolonged sedation in critically-ill children, particularly in younger ages. Main AEs were cardiovascular, reversible, related with higher doses, with the concomitant use of benzodiazepines or multiple sedation drugs and with the presence of withdrawal syndrome.

The authors report a case of ARDS following pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila, in a thirty year old young man. Mechanical ventilation was maintained for twenty days. The gravity of ARDS and pneumonia, perhaps was caused because infective agent and the efficacious antibiotic were identified too late: twelve days after the comparison of symptoms. In fact, early laboratory diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia, is currently very difficult. A primitive extranocosomial pneumonia with rapid development to ARDS, in a good health young man, is an uncommon event. The exclusion of particular causes of ARDS, such as narcotic over-dose, AIDS, lung cancer, lymphatic carcinomatosis, and the clinical suspicion of Legionella pneumonia presence, can be useful: waiting for the right diagnosis from the laboratory, it will be possible to begin antibiotic therapy with Erythromycin (often used for slight respiratory infections), and to prevent the evolution of illness.

The Authors present a retrospective review that compares general anesthesia with regional anesthesia performed during carotid endarterectomy surgery. The study includes 147 procedures, performed on 144 patients: 76 had general anesthesia and 71 had regional anesthesia. After emphasizing the importance of conscience preservation during regional anesthesia to allow a simple and secure monitoring of the patient's neurologic functions, the Authors point out the decrease of peri- and postoperative accidents, whether neurologic or not, obtained with regional anesthesia. Another essential advantage of this technique is the possibility to insert the transitory shunt only when objectively necessary, ulteriorly reducing neurologic complications. Cervical plexus block is primarily indicated for high risk patients with instable neurologic simptomatology, severe stenosis of the contralateral carotid, coronary heart disease. The technique has proved to be of easy execution, safe and well accepted by the patient and the surgeon.