Anesthesia of a child with open Botalli’s duct – a case report

Sa？etak The 8-year-old boy was scheduled for an elective tonsillectomy because of a recurring middle ear infection, caused by adenoid hypertrophy. The patient had a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a common congenital heart defect with a persistent communication between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. In this patient, there was only a haemodynamically insignificant left-to-right shunt. Current guidelines for anaesthetic management of patients with left-to-right shunt include: 1. Maintenance or decrease of systemic vascular resistance (SVR) as a haemodynamic goal; 2. Avoiding decreases in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR); 3. Avoiding hyperoxia and hypocarbia. The preoperative assessment included collaboration with paediatric cardiologist who reevaluated the patient’s cardiac status, including a heart ultrasound and an ECG cardiography. The course of anaesthesia was uneventful. After neuromuscular blockade reversion and extubation, the patient was transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) awake, haemodynamically stable and with satisfactory respiratory status. The preoxygenation with 100% oxygen is a source of controversy. In a patient with PDA, a thorough preoperative evaluation of cardiac status and avoidance of worsening left-to-right shunt are essential for good outcome