Difficult airway following inhalational burn injury in a child

Abstract

Airway management in a burn victim poses special challenges for the anaesthesiologist not only during the acute phase but also after delayed consequences have set in resulting in difficulty in airway management. We report a 5-year-old boy who was admitted to the Department of Paediatrics with biphasic stridor 2 months following inhalational burn injury. He presented with complaints of difficulty in swallowing solid food, hoarseness of voice for the past 1 month and occasional difficulty in breathing for the past 10 days. Laryngoscopy using a #2 Macintosh blade revealed pharyngeal stenosis with grossly distorted airway anatomy. The patient was finally intubated after great difficulty with a 3.5 mm internal diameter endotracheal tube using a fibrescope.