PERIOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS:
PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Abstract
Background: Children with neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) often display
altered vital functions mainly respiratory muscle weakness which
increase the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after general
anesthesia or sedation. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) associated with
cough assistance can successfully reduce these complications. The aim of
this study was to report our experience with a peri-operative protocol
that consists in using NIV combined with mechanical
insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) to improve the postoperative outcome of
children with NMD. Methods: To this end, we conducted a multicenter,
observational study on consecutive pediatric patients with NMDs
undergoing anesthesia or sedation for surgical and diagnostic procedures
from December 2015 to December 2018 in 13 Italian hospitals. Results: We
found that 89% of the 167 children included in the study (mean age 8
y), were at risk of respiratory complications, due to the presence of at
least one respiratory risk factor. In particular, 51% of them had
preoperative technology dependence, while 25% displayed severe
dysphagia. Average hospital length of stay (LOS) was 12 (±17) days.
Despite the complexity of these children, only 26 patients developed
intraoperative surgical complications, whereas 14 developed
postoperative respiratory complications. No patient needed tracheostomy.
The occurrence of long-term mechanical ventilation (MV), severe
scoliosis or dysphagia in the preoperative period and the use of cough
assistance or invasive MV (IMV) longer than 24 h in the postoperative
period were all associated with prolonged hospital LOS. Conclusion: A
carefully planned, multidisciplinary approach for the perioperative
management of pediatric NMD patients can help prevent and resolve
postoperative complications.