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Patients who have undergone a Fontan procedure face an increased risk for thromboembolic complications. This study aimed to evaluate whether thromboelastography, a global whole-blood assay of coagulation, can be used to detect hypercoagulability in pediatric Fontan patients compared with healthy children. This prospective, cross-sectional study investigated 25 Fontan patients and 51 healthy children in three age groups: 1-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-16 years. Kaolin-activated thromboelastography was performed on citrated samples. No statistically significant differences in thromboelastography parameters were found among the different age groups of the 51 healthy children. None of the 25 Fontan patients demonstrated evidence of hypercoagulability on thromboelastography (95% confidence interval, 0-7%), as defined by two standard deviations above or below the normal mean. The findings suggest that the percentage of Fontan patients demonstrating hypercoagulability on thromboelastography is substantially lower than the reported incidence of thromboembolic complications. Whether thromboelastography could be helpful in predicting patients at increased risk for thromboembolic complications or not still is not known. Further studies comparing the thromboelastography of Fontan patients with the thromboembolic complications of those without Fontan are needed to delineate these issues.

To assess the impact of time on parental decision-making for research participation for neonates with congenital heart disease. Interviews were conducted with 37 parents of 19 neonates with congenital heart disease who were eligible for three different studies: genetic etiology of congenital heart disease, heart rate variability (HRV) and structural and functional cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All parents were asked the same questions: (1) ‘Did you have adequate time to make a decision about research?’ and (2) ‘Why?’ Differences between groups (reporting adequate and inadequate time) were evaluated using Fisher's exact tests; central themes were examined using qualitative analysis. Of those parents who reported having adequate time to make their decision (22 of 37), the majority chose to participate when compared to those who reported inadequate time (genetics study, P

Most children vomit after strabismus surgery. Administration of intravenous droperidol to unpremedicated paediatric patients following induction but prior to eye manipulation markedly reduces the incidence of postoperative emesis. This study tested the hypothesis that even earlier administration of droperidol, orally as a component of an oral premedication, would further reduce the incidence of postoperative emesis in this group of patients. Sixty-five patients were randomized into three premedication groups. One group received the standard oral premedication used for all outpatients at our institution (meperidine 1.5 mg.kg-1, diazepam 0.15 mg.kg-1, atropine 0.02 mg.kg-1). In the other two groups, droperidol in a dose of 50 or 75 micrograms.kg-1 was substituted for the diazepam. Droperidol-treated groups demonstrated a significantly lower incidence of vomiting prior to hospital discharge compared to the groups that received the standard oral premedication (standard--73 per cent, 50 micrograms.kg-1 droperidol--33 per cent, 75 micrograms.kg-1 droperidol--36 per cent) without prolonging hospital stay.

The risk of aspiration during induction of anaesthesia in patients with oesophageal disease is not well defined, and controversy exists with respect to patients who have undergone pharyngeal-gastric colon interposition. Excellent gastrooesophageal competence has been documented in many of these patients, and propulsive peristalsis has been demonstrated in interposed colonic segments, suggesting that aspiration risk is low. This report, however, describes recent anaesthetic experiences in two patients with colon interpositions and shows that these patients may have markedly redundant interposed segments that retain food or other particulate residue and, thus, present a significant risk of particulate aspiration. Awake intubation may be the best approach to avoid aspiration in these patients.