Pediatrics: Foreign Body Aspiration

In this chapter the essential aspects of anesthesia for foreign body aspiration in the pediatric patient are reviewed. Subtopics include airway management in a patient with a foreign body aspiration, interventions to avoid, and drugs indicated for securing the airway in a patient with this condition. The chapter is divided into preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative sections with important subtopics related to the main topic in each section. Issues related to preoperative management include assessment of respiratory status, vascular access, and airway management. Intraoperative topics discussed include, inhalational anesthesia, induction, and the patient’s emergence from anesthesia. Postoperative concerns addressed are postoperative stridor and nausea.