Anaesthesia for Abscess Drainage in a Six-Month-Old Male with CLOVES Syndrome

The term CLOVES stands for congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, and spinal/skeletal anomalies. These are the clinical features associated with the syndrome. CLOVES syndrome is a very rare disorder with an estimated incidence rate of less than 1:1,000,000. Its pathogenesis involves postzygotic somatic gain-of-function mutations of the PIK3CA gene on chromosome 3q26.32. It is characterized by a congenital (early) childhood onset. In this report is a case study of a six-month-old baby with features of CLOVES who presented to the hospital with multiple abscesses on the right arm and shoulder. Incision and drainage were done under general anaesthesia and endotracheal intubation, which was uneventful contrary to expectations of difficult intubation and ventilation, as well as coagulopathies and cardiovascular challenges. The patient was then referred for further treatment.