| Title | [Infections with respiratory syncytial virus. Underestimated risk during anaesthesia in infants]. | ||
| Author | Worner, J; Johr, M; Berger, T M; Christen, P | ||
| Journal | Anaesthesist | Publication Year/Month | 2009-Oct |
| PMID | 19672564 | PMCID | -N/A- |
| Affiliation | 1.Institut fur Anasthesie, chirurgische Intensivmedizin, Rettungsdienst und Schmerztherapie, Luzerner Kantonsspital, 6004, Luzern, Schweiz. jakobea.woerner@ksl.ch. | ||
Infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are responsible for a large proportion of seasonal winter airway diseases. After an infection with RSV no persistent immunity remains. Adults show no or only a few symptoms similar to the common cold. However, in preterm and newborn children RSV infections lead to severe and even life-threatening bronchiolitis. These children require supplementary oxygen and often need respiratory support. The infection with RSV considerably enhances the risk of anaesthesia-related complications in infants. So far this problem has rarely been mentioned in the literature. We report on an infant with a RSV infection who was ventilation-dependent for 9 days after anaesthesia for a minor intervention.