Common post-operative complications in children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Postoperative Care

Background:

• Common pediatric post-operative complications lack precise incidence data.
• Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and respiratory complications (hypoxia) are most frequent.
• Cardiac complications are rare in children without congenital heart anomalies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current literature on pediatric post-operative complications.
• To provide comprehensive information for postgraduate students on understanding and managing these complications.
• To outline current practice patterns for pediatric post-operative care.

Main Methods:

• Extensive literature search using keywords related to post-operative complications.
• Databases searched include PubMed and Google Scholar.
• Primary sources comprised relevant articles, review articles, meta-analyses, and editorials from pediatric anesthesia journals.

Main Results:

• Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is the most common complication.
• Respiratory complications leading to hypoxia are also frequent.
• Shivering, agitation, and delirium are more prevalent with sevoflurane and desflurane anesthesia.
• Urinary retention can be influenced by anesthetic agents and regional blocks.

Conclusions:

• Understanding common pediatric post-operative complications is crucial for effective patient management.
• Anesthetic agents and techniques significantly impact the occurrence of certain complications.
• Further research and standardized practices are needed to optimize pediatric post-operative outcomes.