Pediatric Microlaryngoscopy Experiences in a Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Analyses of 105 Procedures

Background and Objectives: Anesthesia for pediatric microlaryngoscopy/direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy (DLB) is very challenging. Airway management methods can vary from tubeless techniques to endotracheal intubation. In this study, we analyzed the pediatric DLB patients operated on in our tertiary hospital. Materials and Methods: After the ethics committee's approval, we retrospectively searched the pediatric DLB patients operated on between 2018 and 2023. Demographic data, airway management, pathology, operation time, and complications were analyzed. Results: Fifty-seven pediatric patients and 105 procedures were analyzed. The most common pathology was subglottic stenosis (29.1%). More than half of the patients were younger than one year old (56.1%). The airway management was performed with intermittent mask ventilation (37.2%), endotracheal tube (33.3%), and tracheostomy cannula (29.5%). Intermittent mask ventilation was the airway management type in 66.0% of the infants. Conclusions: Here, we report our pediatric DLB experiences. Airway management is challenging and is dependent on the age and pathology of the child, and planned surgery. Excessive attention is required during airway surgeries such as DLB.