Spinal anaesthesia in paediatric patients

Purpose of review Spinal anaesthesia has seldom been employed in paediatric patients. Its use has been suggested mainly in former preterm newborns and infants who are known to be exposed to high perioperative apnoea risk. There is currently some evidence that spinal anaesthesia could be considered as an equal alternative to general anaesthesia as it is in adults. Recent findings New drugs and adjuvants recently introduced in clinical practice, more-detailed knowledge of spread anaesthetic modalities and larger databases, now available, could today make paediatric spinal anaesthesia a more suitable technique for many anaesthetists. Summary We will review recent literature focusing the latest techniques, drugs, dosages, and complications in order to define the limits and advantages of employing spinal anaesthesia in all paediatric ages, in routine and emergency surgery.