Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Anesthesia and Intubation of Preadolescent Mouse Pups for Cardiothoracic Surgery
09:47

Anesthesia and Intubation of Preadolescent Mouse Pups for Cardiothoracic Surgery

Published on: June 2, 2022

Paediatric prehospital analgesia in Auckland

Nicholas Watkins1

  • 1Children's Emergency Department, Starship Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. nicholasw@adhb.govt.nz

Emergency Medicine Australasia : EMA
|February 4, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Younger children are less likely to receive prehospital pain relief from ambulance services. Concerns about injection pain contribute to underuse of analgesia in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Prehospital Care Research
  • Pain Management in Children

Background:

  • Effective pain management in children is crucial, especially in prehospital settings.
  • Previous studies suggest potential disparities in analgesia administration based on patient factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the influence of child age on prehospital analgesia provision by the Auckland ambulance service.
  • To examine how age affects ambulance officers' decision-making regarding pediatric analgesia.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of children with limb fractures or burns arriving at Starship Children's Emergency Department.
  • Concurrent questionnaire survey of ambulance officers' analgesia practices in children.

Main Results:

  • Children under 5 years received significantly less prehospital analgesia (0% vs. 51% for 5-15 years).
  • Younger children (under 5) were more likely to require intravenous opiate analgesia upon hospital arrival (70% vs. 54%).
  • Ambulance officers did not believe age significantly impacted their analgesia decisions.

Conclusions:

  • Younger age is a significant risk factor for inadequate prehospital analgesia in children.
  • Ambulance officers' apprehension regarding injection pain is a key factor in the underuse of morphine in younger pediatric patients.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia01:29

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia

Epidural anesthetics are administered in the fat-filled epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. This technique is commonly employed for pain management and anesthesia during lower abdomen and pelvis surgeries or labor and delivery.
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview01:24

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview

Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation IV: Pharmacological Management01:25

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation IV: Pharmacological Management

Pharmacologic intervention is crucial in treating cardiac arrest patients during ACLS or Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. The ACLS algorithms guide the administration of specific drugs based on the patient's cardiac arrest rhythm, which includes pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), asystole, and pulseless electrical activity (PEA).EpinephrineIndication: Epinephrine is the first-line drug for all cardiac arrest rhythms.Mechanism of Action: Epinephrine...
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia01:16

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Intravenous Regional Anesthesia

Intravenous regional anesthesia or the Bier block technique is used to anesthetize a specific limb or extremity. It uses exsanguinated or blood-drained vessels to transport local anesthetics or LAs to the peripheral nerve trunks. Lidocaine without vasoconstrictors like epinephrine is most commonly used for this technique. Other drugs used are prilocaine, ropivacaine, and chloroprocaine. Bupivacaine is not recommended for this technique due to its high cardiac toxicity.
One of the advantages of...
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use01:23

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation III: AED Use

Introduction to AEDAn Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable medical device that analyzes the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, leading to a loss of blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. In such emergencies, time is of the essence, and using an AED, combined with Cardiopulmonary...