Anaesthesia in  SARS-CoV-2 infected children - single-centre experience. A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• While SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) often presents mildly in children, anesthetic implications remain a concern.
• Limited data suggests increased anesthetic complication risks for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety of general anesthesia in pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing urgent procedures.
• To compare anesthetic complication rates between SARS-CoV-2 infected and non-infected children.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study of SARS-CoV-2 infected (n=58) and negative (n=198) children requiring anesthesia for urgent procedures.
• Data collected on primary (respiratory complications, desaturation, ventilation) and secondary (hospital stay, thrombotic/cardiac events, ICU admission, death) endpoints.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified risk factors for complications.

Main Results:

• Overall complication rates were low and not significantly different between SARS-CoV-2 infected and control groups.
• SARS-CoV-2 infected children experienced a higher frequency of desaturation during awakening and longer hospitalization.
• Patient's physical status and procedure duration were key factors influencing complication risk.

Conclusions:

• General anesthesia can be safely administered to pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• While minor differences exist, the study supports the safety of anesthetic management in this population.