OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate cases of difficult intubation in pediatric cardiac surgical patients and to evaluate the importance of associated congenital abnormalities. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery of a tertiary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All children undergoing congenital heart surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Patients who had difficult intubations according to their anesthetic charts were further evaluated from hospital files for demographic characteristics, associated congenital abnormalities, and perioperative airway and/or respiratory complications. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 1,278 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease were operated on from January 1999 to July 2002. Difficult intubation was encountered in 16 cases (1.25%). Two of these were newborns, 11 were infants, and 3 were in the pediatric age group. Anterior larynx was the most common reason for difficult intubation (7 cases, 43.7%). There were associated syndromes and/or other congenital abnormalities in 8 children (50%). CONCLUSION: The likelihood of difficult intubation during pediatric cardiac surgery, especially in cases with other congenital pathologies should be kept in mind, and the anesthetic approach must be planned accordingly.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate cases of difficult intubation in pediatric cardiac surgical patients and to evaluate the importance of associated congenital abnormalities. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Departments of Anesthesiology and Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery of a tertiary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All children undergoing congenital heart surgery. INTERVENTIONS:Patients who had difficult intubations according to their anesthetic charts were further evaluated from hospital files for demographic characteristics, associated congenital abnormalities, and perioperative airway and/or respiratory complications. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 1,278 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease were operated on from January 1999 to July 2002. Difficult intubation was encountered in 16 cases (1.25%). Two of these were newborns, 11 were infants, and 3 were in the pediatric age group. Anterior larynx was the most common reason for difficult intubation (7 cases, 43.7%). There were associated syndromes and/or other congenital abnormalities in 8 children (50%). CONCLUSION: The likelihood of difficult intubation during pediatric cardiac surgery, especially in cases with other congenital pathologies should be kept in mind, and the anesthetic approach must be planned accordingly.