Acute airway obstruction in an infant with Pierre Robin syndrome after palatoplasty

Authors: Dell'Oste, C.¹; Savron, F.¹; Pelizzo, G.²; Sarti, A.¹

Source: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, Volume 48, Number 6, July 2004 , pp. 787-789(3)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $48.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

This report describes a complication of post-operative oedema of the palate, tongue and pharynx after a Perko-revised cleft palate repair, which resulted in a life-threatening airway obstruction in an infant with Pierre Robin syndrome. Although infants experiencing airway problems after Wardill-Kilner, von Langenbeck and Furlow palatoplasty have been described, airway complications in a group of Perko-revised repair children have not been previously reported. We speculate that this complication, which occurred in the absence of a history of previous airway problems, is due to prolonged operating time and excessive pressure exerted on the base of the tongue by the Kilner-Doughty retractor. Acknowledgments of this risk permits to identify those patients prior to surgery so that they can be managed appropriately.

Keywords: airway obstruction; anesthesia; cleft palate; lingual edema; Pierre Robin syndrome; post-operative complication

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0001-5172.2004.00407.x

Affiliations: 1: Anesthesia and Intensive Care, 2: Paediatric Surgery, IRCCS Istituto per l'Infanzia Bo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy

Publication date: 2004-07-01