Anaes Cases · Paediatric anaesthesia
The child with a recent URTI for elective surgery
A focused case on the URTI dilemma — the increased airway reactivity and laryngospasm risk, the decision factors (severity, chronicity, fever, parental history), and the modern position (mild URTI is not an absolute contraindication).
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Prompt
A 3-year-old scheduled for myringotomy has had a runny nose and a cough for 3 days. Discuss the anaesthetic implications and the decision to proceed or postpone.
Presentation
A 3-year-old child scheduled for elective myringotomy tubes has had a clear runny nose and a mild cough for 3 days, without a fever. The parents ask whether the surgery can proceed.
References1ShowHide
- [3]Cook TM, et al. NAP7: high mortality risk in neonates and very low risk in children. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2025.PMID 39645515