Combined anaesthesia in a young patient with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa

Urological surgery in epidermolysis bullosa: tactical planning for surgery and anesthesia

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is characterized by extreme fragility of the skin and mucosae. Anesthetic and surgical techniques have to be adapted to those children and routine practice may not be adequate. Urological problems are relatively common, but surgical techniques adapted to those children have not been well debated and only low evidence is available to this moment. Herein we discuss the specifics of anesthetic and surgical techniques chosen to treat a six year old EB male presenting with symptomatic phimosis.

[Anaesthetic management in a paediatric patient with a difficult airway due to epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica]

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by blistering after minimal trauma. These blisters tend to form dystrophic scars, leading to limiting and life-threatening sequelae. The anaesthetic management of patients with DEB is a challenge, even for the most experienced anaesthesiologists, but basic principles can help us prepare the plan of care. The main goals are to prevent trauma/infection of skin/mucous, and to establish a secure airway without causing bullae. Patient positioning and the instruments used to monitor vital signs and administering anaesthetic agents can cause new lesions. It is advisable to lubricate the instruments and to avoid adhesive material and shearing forces on the skin. Besides the implications of the comorbidities, there is a potential difficult intubation and difficult vascular access. Acute airway obstruction can occur due to airway instrumentation. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with EBD difficult airway and undergoing correction of syndactylyl and dental extractions.