Anesthetic implications of undiagnosed late onset central hypoventilation syndrome in a child: from elective tonsillectomy to tracheostomy.

Late onset central hypoventilation syndrome is a neurological disorder that can present with postoperative respiratory complications and delayed emergence in children after anesthesia. We present a child who had unanticipated respiratory complications following an elective tonsillectomy who eventually required a tracheostomy and long-term ventilatory support.