Management of an infant with diffuse bullous pulmonary lesions using high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the anesthetic and ventilatory management of an infant with diffuse pulmonary bullous lesions.


METHODS
Four successive operations were scheduled for an infant with diffuse pulmonary bullous lesions. At the age of seven weeks, conventional positive pressure ventilation during laparotomy for intestinal occlusion led to arterial desaturation. This was corrected by returning to spontaneous respiration and deep inhalation anesthesia with halothane. Based on our ICU experience and due to a potential impaired oxygenation during conventional ventilation, we chose high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) for bilateral sequential thoracotomies for bullectomies at the age of five months. We elected the same ventilatory mode for laparotomy for intestinal obstruction secondary to a polyp at the age of six months. This ventilatory mode was combined with total intravenous anesthesia and epidural analgesia and provided optimal oxygenation and ventilation as well as vital signs stability.


CONCLUSIONS
High frequency oscillatory ventilation is a safe technique that may be used in the operating room in cases where conventional ventilation failed to provide satisfactory gas exchange.
Aubin
P
P
Department of Anesthesiology, Hôpital Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal, QC, Canada.
Vischoff
D
D
Haig
M
M
Villeneuve
E
E
Charest
J
J
Lallier
M
M
Di Lorenzo
M
M
D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006612:High-Frequency Ventilation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011859:Radiography; D013908:Thoracotomy
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen