Respiratory complications during anaesthesia in Apert syndrome

Background: Clinical experience with anaesthesia for a series of patients w ith Apert syndrome (craniosynostosis, midface hypoplasia and syndactyly) ha s not been reported previously. Methods: In this review, 10 years of experience was examined at our hospita l. There were 145 anaesthetics administered to 18 individuals. Results: There were 16 complications (15 were perioperative wheezing) which occurred in seven patients. In four cases, surgery was cancelled due to in tractable wheezing. Conclusions: We could not demonstrate any benefit from preoperative adminis tration of nebulized albuterol. Paediatric anaesthetists should be aware of this high incidence of respiratory complications in Apert syndrome.