Total intravenous anaesthesia for tracheobronchial stenting in children

Abstract

Stenosis and malacia of the tracheobronchial tree, most often secondary to prolonged intubation, tracheostomy or following correction of a congenital cardiac lesion, present a significant therapeutic problem, especially when the lesions are extensive. The utilization of self-expanding tracheobronchial stents is a useful addition to the medical armamentarium for maintenance of airways in these patients with major airway stenosis and collapse. The majority of previous reported cases of tracheobronchial stenting have been performed under general anaesthesia with the help of rigid bronchoscopy under direct vision. We conducted two cases of tracheobronchial stenting in postoperative cardiosurgical babies under continuous propofol infusion taking advantage of cardiovascular stability during continuous infusion and rapid emergence after its discontinuation.