Anesthesia Alert
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3 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6
Of all the stresses kids have to endure while awaiting
surgery, mask placement may be at the top of the
list. The unpleasant smell and tight seal often
cause children to panic and resist. To turn a
child's panic into play, a nurse anesthetist has
invented a maskless induction device that's cur-
rently under FDA review. The Pediatric
Device for Induction of Anesthesia (PeDIA), a
balloon-shaped device that looks like an
old-time hot-water bottle, lets children
ages 3 and up induce themselves, says
PeDIA's inventor, Diane Manzella Miller, MHS, CRNA, of Fairfax, Va.
"It makes induction fun and engaging," she says.
With PeDIA (PeDIALLC.com), kids are encouraged to sit up, choose
their favorite color "balloon" and participate in their own induction.
For the provider, PeDIA doesn't manipulate the anesthesia circuit,
nor the flow of gases, says Ms. Miller, who notes that the inspiratory
and expiratory limbs remain effectively separated to avoid mixing
inspired and expired gases. You attach PeDIA to the elbow of the cir-
cuit and fill it with nitrous-oxygen. Then, as the patient inhales and
exhales the admixture through the device — the mouthpiece at the
top is also a siren whistle, so the child hears a fun sound while inhal-
ing and exhaling — you dial in the sevoflurane. "Once the child is too
sleepy to continue, you can easily revert to a mask induction, with no
anxiety or resistance," says Ms. Miller.
— Jim Burger
CHILD'S PLAY
CRNA Develops Maskless Induction Device
• UNMASKED The PeDIA is a maskless induction device
designed to make children ages 3 and up think they're playing
with a balloon while they induce themselves. It's currently
under FDA review.
Diane
Manzella-Miller,
MHS,
CRNA
