title: Acute airway obstruction in an infant with Pierre Robin syndrome after palatoplasty.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS Instituto per l'Infanzia Burlo Garofolo, Triest, Italy. sarti@burlo.trieste.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dell'Oste
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Savron
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pelizzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarti
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D004487:Edema / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000379:methods; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods; D010159:Palate / Q000503:physiopathology; D010614:Pharynx / Q000503:physiopathology; D010855:Pierre Robin Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014059:Tongue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids