We report the successful preoperative control and anaesthetic management of severe hypertension in a 7-month-old baby with nephroblastoma and increased renin activity. The strategy for selection of appropriate antihypertensive pharmacological agents and the anaesthetic implications and management of the condition are discussed.

Although drug interaction probably remains the most potentially serious problem, current evidence suggests that psychiatric medication need not be discontinued prior to anesthesia and surgery, discontinuation of medication may constitute its own hazards. Most interactions can be predicted and appropriate precautions taken, the use of meperidine is now absolutely contraindicated for patients receiving MAOI's.

Extracorporeal circulation techniques are being used increasingly in patients with acute cardiac or pulmonary failure. Some of these patients may subsequently require transportation, which has limited the use of these techniques in hospitals without on site transplantation facilities. We report a case of adult respiratory distress syndrome that demonstrates a solution to this problem.