The Effect of Opioid-Free Anaesthesia in an Apert Syndrome Child: A Case Series

Abstract

Apert syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited syndrome that presents with craniosynostosis, mid-face hypoplasia, and symmetrical syndactyly of limbs. These patients undergo different types of surgery and are challenging to the anaesthesiologist in terms of a difficult airway, causing difficulty in bag-mask ventilation and an increased incidence of postoperative airway obstruction. Apert syndrome is a congenital anomaly that is associated with a difficult airway, so we avoid opioids to decrease complications like sedation and respiratory depression and use dexmedetomidine to facilitate early postoperative recovery. We report the perioperative management of a case series of six patients with Apert syndrome with opioid-free anaesthesia.