Pediatric anesthesia for proton radiotherapy : medicine remote from the medical centre

• Published in: Der Anaesthesist 2012-10, Vol.61 (10), p.906
• Main Authors: Frei-Welte, M, Weiss, M, Neuhaus, D, Ares, C, Mauch, J
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• Subjects: Ambulatory Care; Anesthesia; Anesthesia, Intravenous; Anesthetics, Intravenous; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Competence; Deep Sedation; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Patient Care Team; Propofol; Protons; Radiotherapy - methods
• ISSN: 1432-055X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00101-012-2085-2

Anesthesia care for infants and young children for proton beam radiotherapy demands great technical and vocational skills from the anesthesia team and also a high degree of competence in soft skills. The anesthesia team should be experienced and regularly trained in pediatric anesthesia, especially as the children are often in a reduced general condition. The infrastructure should be established according to the current standards in anesthesiology. Monitoring of vital data, thorax excursions and inadvertent movements of the remotely positioned and sedated patient need to be under constant technical and optical surveillance. Propofol is an ideal hypnotic for the sedation of children under spontaneous breathing for proton beam radiation therapy. It is well tolerated even when given on a daily basis over several weeks. A close cooperation between the pediatric oncologist, radiation oncologist and anesthetist is important in order to manage additional medical problems in an optimal way. The special needs of oncology patients must be taken into consideration when planning anesthesia care.