Child & Adolescent Health Service

When children have surgery, anaesthetists carefully monitor the depth of anaesthesia by using sensors on the forehead that measure brain activity, also known as processed electroencephalogram (pEEG). These monitors are routinely used in paediatric anaesthesia; however, investigators do not know if they work accurately in babies and young children with seizure disorders or on anti-seizure medications.
Children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies may need anaesthesia for tests or procedures. It is important that their treating doctors understand whether these monitors truly reflect how awake or asleep the children are. This study aims to compare a child's electrical brain activity using two commonly used devices in paediatric anaesthesia with the conventional 21-lead EEG patterns in children with seizure disorders. The results of this research may help improve the safety and perioperative care of children with seizure disorders who require general anaesthesia in the future.

This project aims to conduct an international, prospective, multicentre, observational study to determine the incidence of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury (PO-AKI) in hospitalized children after noncardiac surgery. Urinary biomarkers are intended to be evaluated as predictors of PO-AKI in the same subjects. The study employs modern standardized classifications for AKI to comprehensively address the issue of PO-AKI in children. Describing the incidence and identifying risk factors for PO-AKI will play a crucial role in developing preventive strategies aimed at reducing associated mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, investigating the relationship between urinary biomarkers of renal injury and PO-AKI will provide valuable insights into assessing postoperative renal function in paediatric patients, especially when repeated blood sampling is not feasible.