In the March 2023 Pediatric Anesthesia*, five UNC Pediatric Anesthesia authors published the findings of a 30-month, single institution retrospective review of pediatric cytoreductive surgery-hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (CRS–HIPEC) cases. The UNC investigative team included lead author & Assistant Professor Adam Suchar, MD, CRNA Joelle Lane, CRNA Ashley King, former UNC Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery Dr. Andrea Hayes-Jordan, and Professor of Anesthesiology Janey Phelps, MD. In conjunction with a tunneled thoracic epidural catheter, the co-authors evaluated multimodal, opioid-sparing, total intravenous anesthetic technique utilization to avoid using postoperative mechanical ventilation and to minimize intraoperative and postoperative opioid requirements for pediatric CRS–HIPEC. This is the largest case series review on the anesthetic, fluid, and pain management of pediatric CRS-HIPEC ever reported.

In the same issue, an editorial by prominent pediatric pain management experts Doralina Anghelescu, MD, (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) and Charles B. Berdenotes, MD, PhD (Boston Children’s Hospital) wrote: “The [UNC] authors deserve accolades on the much-improved outcomes … which exceed those previous studies of anesthetic and pain management strategies in this patient population.”

* Suchar AM, Lane J, King AC, Hayes AA, Phelps JR. Anesthesia and pain management of pediatric cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Pediatr Anaesth. 2023;33:193-200. 
** PHOTOS (L to R): Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Dr. Adam Suchar, CRNA Joelle Lane, CRNA Ashley King, former UNC Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery Dr. Andrea Hayes-Jordan, Professor of Anesthesiology Dr. Janey Phelps