Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review
Regional anesthesia has gained increasing attention in pediatric surgery as a valuable tool for managing perioperative pain and improving surgical outcomes. This narrative review highlights the numerous advantages of regional anesthesia in pediatric populations, including superior pain control, redu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Surgeries |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4095/6/1/9 |
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| author | Tomasz Reysner Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis Aleksander Mularski Grzegorz Kowalski Przemyslaw Daroszewski Malgorzata Reysner |
| author_facet | Tomasz Reysner Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis Aleksander Mularski Grzegorz Kowalski Przemyslaw Daroszewski Malgorzata Reysner |
| author_sort | Tomasz Reysner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Regional anesthesia has gained increasing attention in pediatric surgery as a valuable tool for managing perioperative pain and improving surgical outcomes. This narrative review highlights the numerous advantages of regional anesthesia in pediatric populations, including superior pain control, reduced reliance on systemic opioids, fewer anesthetic-related complications, and enhanced recovery profiles. Using ultrasound-guided techniques has further expanded the safety and precision of regional blocks in children. Regional anesthesia also addresses critical concerns about the potential neurotoxicity of general anesthetics in developing brains, offering a safer alternative or complement for specific procedures. Reducing systemic anesthetic and opioid exposure minimizes the risk of adverse effects such as respiratory depression, nausea, and sedation, which are particularly significant in medically fragile or younger patients. Furthermore, regional techniques contribute to faster recovery times, better preservation of neurophysiological monitoring signals during surgery, and attenuation of the stress response. The integration of adjuvants like clonidine, dexmedetomidine, and dexamethasone further enhances the efficacy and duration of regional blocks while improving safety profiles. Despite these benefits, implementing regional anesthesia in pediatric populations requires specialized expertise and an understanding of children’s unique anatomical and physiological differences. This review underscores the growing role of regional anesthesia in modern pediatric perioperative care. It highlights its potential to optimize outcomes, reduce complications, and address emerging concerns about the safety of general anesthesia in children undergoing surgery. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94f7782b5c824131b4f5e2d6e5023dd0 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-4095 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Surgeries |
| spelling | doaj-art-94f7782b5c824131b4f5e2d6e5023dd02025-08-20T01:48:58ZengMDPI AGSurgeries2673-40952025-01-0161910.3390/surgeries6010009Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative ReviewTomasz Reysner0Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis1Aleksander Mularski2Grzegorz Kowalski3Przemyslaw Daroszewski4Malgorzata Reysner5Department of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, PolandDepartment of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Organization and Management in Health Care, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznań, PolandRegional anesthesia has gained increasing attention in pediatric surgery as a valuable tool for managing perioperative pain and improving surgical outcomes. This narrative review highlights the numerous advantages of regional anesthesia in pediatric populations, including superior pain control, reduced reliance on systemic opioids, fewer anesthetic-related complications, and enhanced recovery profiles. Using ultrasound-guided techniques has further expanded the safety and precision of regional blocks in children. Regional anesthesia also addresses critical concerns about the potential neurotoxicity of general anesthetics in developing brains, offering a safer alternative or complement for specific procedures. Reducing systemic anesthetic and opioid exposure minimizes the risk of adverse effects such as respiratory depression, nausea, and sedation, which are particularly significant in medically fragile or younger patients. Furthermore, regional techniques contribute to faster recovery times, better preservation of neurophysiological monitoring signals during surgery, and attenuation of the stress response. The integration of adjuvants like clonidine, dexmedetomidine, and dexamethasone further enhances the efficacy and duration of regional blocks while improving safety profiles. Despite these benefits, implementing regional anesthesia in pediatric populations requires specialized expertise and an understanding of children’s unique anatomical and physiological differences. This review underscores the growing role of regional anesthesia in modern pediatric perioperative care. It highlights its potential to optimize outcomes, reduce complications, and address emerging concerns about the safety of general anesthesia in children undergoing surgery.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4095/6/1/9peripheral nerve blockregional anesthesiasurgery stress responseadjuvants |
| spellingShingle | Tomasz Reysner Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis Aleksander Mularski Grzegorz Kowalski Przemyslaw Daroszewski Malgorzata Reysner Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review Surgeries peripheral nerve block regional anesthesia surgery stress response adjuvants |
| title | Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review |
| title_full | Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review |
| title_fullStr | Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review |
| title_short | Revolutionizing Pediatric Surgery: The Transformative Role of Regional Anesthesia—A Narrative Review |
| title_sort | revolutionizing pediatric surgery the transformative role of regional anesthesia a narrative review |
| topic | peripheral nerve block regional anesthesia surgery stress response adjuvants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4095/6/1/9 |
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