Preoperative Dexamethasone and β2 Agonist Administration to Children with Airway Foreign Bodies: Effects on Intraoperative Respiratory Complications

Background: One of the most challenging operations in children for anesthesiologists and surgeons is foreign body aspiration. Bronchospasm and desaturation may lead to bradycardia and even death. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of preoperative dexamethasone and β2 agonist (salbutamol) administration on children who had foreign body aspiration during the rigid bronchoscopy on these undesired complications. Methods: Children were divided into two groups via random numbers table, independent of their clinical conditions. β2 agonist (salbutamol) (2.5 mg < 20 kg, 5 mg > 20 kg) and dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg) were administrated to group 1, 30 minutes before the operation. The same agents were administrated to group 2 during anesthesia induction. The occurrence of bronchospasm, desaturation, and bradycardia was evaluated. Results: There were 27 children in each group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups’ time periods between the onset of the symptoms and procedure (P > 0.05). The two groups were similar in clinical aspects. Clinically, periods of spasm and desaturation were shorter, and patients recovered faster in group 1, but the bronchospasm numbers, desaturation, and bradycardia periods were similar in both groups. Conclusions: The results seem statistically similar. Since the periods of spasm and desaturation were shorter, and patients recovered faster in patients with preoperative administration of β2 agonists (salbutamol) and dexamethasone, we may suggest that a larger data set in future studies may lead to more significant results and a better conclusion.