[Children with respiratory infections - How and when to perform anesthesia]

Infections of the upper respiratory tract ( URI) are the most common preoperative encountered comorbidity in childhood. Whether anesthesia for a child with respiratory infection should be performed or better be canceled, is still a dilemma for many anesthetists. The reasons for this are understandable: respiratory infections are associated with an increased incidence of perioperative respiratory adverse events, and there have been no evidence-based recommendations for the procedure in the individual case. The reason appears to be the asthma-like airway hyperreactivity. Typical respiratory adverse events are laryngo- and bronchospasm. Although most of them remain without serious sequelae they have potential for serious morbidity and mortality when not immediately diagnosed and treated. Risk factors for respiratory complications include age <1 year , pulmonary comorbidity, invasive airway and airway surgery. Hence the individual decision is dependant on the risk but also the benefit factors and the expertise of the medical team.