Abstract
Introduction: Pompe disease is caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase, which results in cardiac and muscular complications that can jeopardize perioperative outcomes. We report a 4-month-old infant with Pompe disease receiving cheiloplasty under general anesthesia with the aid of peripheral nerve blocks and intensive hemodynamic monitoring. Case Description: This case report describes a 4-month-old full-term Taiwanese female infant who presented with left unilateral cleft lip and palate in the prenatal examination. She was diagnosed with infantile-onset Pompe disease after acidic α-glucosidase (GAA) gene sequencing. She also received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) 15 days after birth and regular ERT every other week. Cheiloplasty was performed under general anesthesia uneventfully, and peripheral nerve blocks were adopted for analgesia. Intensive hemodynamic monitoring using electrical cardiometry technology (ICON(®)) and pulse contour analysis (FloTrac system) were applied during the operation. No adverse effects were observed, and the wound healed well. Therefore, the patient was discharged 4 days after surgery. Conclusion: With the availability of ERT, severe organ dysfunction in infantile-onset Pompe disease patients is no longer common. However, moderate cardiac depression can still occur while increasing inspiratory pressure and deepening the anesthesia level despite a normal preoperative echocardiogram report. Therefore, careful, gradual titration is desirable. Furthermore, electrical cardiometry can detect hemodynamic changes more instantaneously and reliably than pulse contour analysis. In addition, we suggest taking advantage of the peripheral nerve block as a part of balanced anesthesia to alleviate the cardiac suppression caused by general anesthesia.