Risk factors for perioperative adverse respiratory events in children with upper respiratory tract infections, Anesthesiology 95

Background: Anesthesia for the child who presents for sur-gery with an upper respiratory infection (URI) presents a chal-lenge for the anesthesiologist. The current prospective study was designed to determine the incidence of and risk factors for adverse respiratory events in children with URIs undergoing elective surgical procedures. Methods: The study population included 1,078 children aged 1 month to 18 yr who presented for an elective surgical proce-dure. Parents were given a short questionnaire detailing their child’s demographics, medical history, and presence of any symptoms of a URI. Data regarding the incidence and severity of perioperative respiratory events were collected prospectively. Adverse respiratory events (any episode of laryngospasm, bronchospasm, breath holding> 15 s, oxygen saturation < 90%, or severe cough) were recorded. In addition, parent