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Electrically Evoked Stapedius Reflex Measurements in Cochlear Implantation and Its Application in the Postoperative Fitting Process
Published on: June 21, 2024
Anesthetic complications in pediatric patients undergoing cochlear implantation
Joseph S Yeh1, Kimberly L Mooney, Kevin Gingrich
1Department of Anesthesiology, New York University, School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA.
Insights
Pediatric cochlear implantation (CI) under general anesthesia is safe, with a 6.5% anesthesia-related complication rate. Most complications were respiratory and resolved without long-term issues, similar to other age groups.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Anesthesia
- Medical Device Technology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation (CI) is a vital treatment for childhood sensorineural hearing loss.
- General anesthesia is frequently used for pediatric CI procedures.
- Understanding anesthetic risks in this population is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of anesthesia-related complications in pediatric patients undergoing cochlear implantation.
- To identify potential risk factors associated with these complications.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 123 patients under 18 years old who underwent CI between 2007 and 2008.
- Analysis of intra- and postoperative anesthesia-related complications.
- Logistic regression used to assess the relationship between variables and complications.
Main Results:
- Nine anesthesia-related complications occurred in eight patients (6.5% incidence).
- Common complications included postoperative wheezing/stridor and laryngospasm.
- No significant association was found between collected variables and complication events.
Conclusions:
- General anesthesia is well-tolerated in pediatric CI patients, including those under one year old.
- Perioperative complications are primarily respiratory and typically do not result in long-term sequelae.
- The complication rate is comparable to that reported in other age groups.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
Cochlear implantation (CI) is effective in the treatment of childhood sensorineural hearing loss and is associated with minimal surgical complications. We investigated the incidence of anesthetic complications in young patients undergoing general anesthesia for CI.
Study Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review of 123 patients younger than 18 years, who underwent CI between 2007 and 2008, was conducted for identification of intra- and postoperative anesthesia-related complications. The relation of collected variable to the complication events was analyzed using logistic regression.
Results:
Of the 123 CI procedures, eight patients had nine anesthesia-related complications, yielding a complication rate of 6.5% and included the following: postoperative wheezing/stridor (5 cases), laryngospasm (3 cases), and emesis during inhalational induction (1 case). Divided by age group, 12 patients were <12 months with one complication (8%), 18 patients were between 1 and 2 years with one complication (5.6%), 35 patients were between 2 and 5 years with one complication (3%), 39 patients were between 5 and 12 years with five complications (13%), and 19 patients were older than 12 years with no complication (0%). Logistic regression failed to identify a significant association of any collected variable(s) with the observed complications. The incidence of complications is similar to that previously reported in elderly patients (4.3%) (Pearson χ(2) , P = .523).
Conclusions:
General anesthesia is well tolerated by pediatric patients undergoing CI, even under 1 year of age. Significant perioperative complications are primarily respiratory, are usually free of long-term sequelae, and occur with an incidence similar to other reported age groups.
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