1725 C ANESTHETIC COMPLICATIONS IN ADENO/TONSILLECTOMY (T+A) IN CHILDREN WITH/WITHOUT SLEEP DISTURBANCE (SD)

Abstract

A retrospective study was done to determine the incidence of intra/postoperative anesthetic complications in children undergoing T+A for adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH). Charts of 65 children were reviewed; four children were excluded from the study because of complicating systemic diseases. Sixteen (26.2%) of 61 children (mean age 8.5 years) had been referred primarily because of severe SD and underwent polysomnography. We compared this group with the remaining group (n=45) to determine any difference in incidence of complications due to anesthesia. In 50 patients (82%) inhalation anesthesia was used, and in 11 patients (18%) nitrous oxide was supplemented with.I.V. pentothal/narcotics. In five patients (8.2%) there were minor complications which included laryngospasm (1), difficult intubation (2), postoperative upper airway obstruction (1), and lobar atelectasis (1). The incidence of complications was 4.4% in patients without severe SD and 18.75% in children with severe SD (P value=.11). All patients improved clinically post T+A. We conclude that general anesthesia for T+A in children with ATH with severe SD may present anesthetic and postoperative problems even when pre-medications are sparingly used.