Abstract
BACKGROUND: Perioperative respiratory adverse events (PRAE) pose significant risk in paediatric anaesthesia, and identifying risk is vital. Perioperative measurement of pharyngeal closing pressure (PCLOSE) is a quick, objective method of assessing upper airway collapsibility that may identify PRAE risk. AIM: To investigate if PCLOSE measurement is feasible and predictive of PRAE in children. METHOD: Fifty-six children (1-8years, 34 male, without significant co-morbidities) underwent PCLOSE measurements immediately preceding (pre-PCLOSE) and following (post-PCLOSE) adenotonsillectomy. Measurement was performed under anaesthesia while breathing spontaneously in supine posture with head/jaw neutral. After application of a face mask, inspiratory flow was occluded with an associated decrease in mask/nasal pressure seen with each inspiratory effort. With airway collapse, a plateau developed in minimum pressure observed (= PCLOSE): less collapsible airways occluded at more negative pressures. PCLOSE was averaged over 5–6 sequential efforts, at least 3 times on each occasion. RESULTS: Both pre-and post-PCLOSE were successfully measured in 94.6% children without affecting procedure. Pre-PCLOSE and change in PCLOSE from pre- to post- were associated with an increased incidence of PRAE (Poisson regression coefficient 0.083(0.03) (mean, SE); p=0.0054 and 0.03(0.01); p=0.018, respectively). There was no significant association between post-PCLOSE and PRAE. The odd of PRAE occurrence during recovery was 1.5 times higher than in other phases. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining PCLOSE. A more collapsible airway before surgery and an increase in collapsibility with surgery were both associated with increased PRAE. PCLOSE measurement could be a valuable risk assessment tool for PRAE in children undergoing surgery.