PEDIATRIC CARDIAC-CATHETERIZATION - INNOVATIONS

In recent years interventional procedures have been introduced to the field of paediatric cardiac catheterization. These procedures continue to develop in complexity and increasingly are being applied to patien ts with reduced cardiovascular reserve, as an alternative to cardiac s urgery or when cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is contrain dicated. More frequently anaesthetists are being called upon to provid e support in sedating, anaesthetizing or/and resuscitating these patie nts. The purpose of this review is to give a comprehensive update of t he interventional procedures and to review the anaesthetic management techniques as they apply to the catheterization laboratory. We will di scuss s possible complications and management strategies from our own experience and the experience of others. We have observed that as more complicated procedures are performed the anaesthetist plays a pivotal role in the management of the patient from arrival to departure from the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and in preventing mortality an d major morbidity. Although the economic consequences of interventiona l cardiological techniques remain unclear, the field continues to expa nd and more complex procedures are continually being introduced.