The management and treatment of recurrent postoperative laryngospasm

Effect of intravenous lidocaine on the incidence of postextubation laryngospasm: A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial

Objectives

The study aimed to test the effect of intraoperative intravenous (IV) lidocaine on the incidence of postextubation laryngospasm in adult patients.

Methods

The prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted at tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, between January and December 2012. Seventy-two patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to receive either placebo (n = 36) or IV lidocaine (n = 36), 1 mg/kg bolus after desflurane was discontinued. Laryngospasm was graded from 0 to 3 based on the absence or presence of signs and the severity of postextubation laryngospasm.

Results

The study was terminated early by the data monitoring committee because of safety concerns due to an increased incidence of postextubation laryngospasm. Patient demographics were similar for both groups. The incidence of postextubation laryngospasm was 19.5% in the placebo group and 0% in the treatment (lidocaine) group; this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.017; 95% confidence interval, 4.6% to 36.0%).

Conclusions

The cause of laryngospasm in our study was most likely the rapid increase in the concentration of inspired desflurane, which might have caused airway irritation. Therefore, we believe that pretreating patients at risk of developing laryngospasm with IV lidocaine could be effective.

Laryngospasm: review of different prevention and treatment modalities

Laryngospasm is a common complication in pediatric anesthesia. In the majority of cases, laryngospasm is self-limiting. However, sometimes laryngospasm persists and if not appropriately treated, it may result in serious complications that may be life-threatening. The present review discusses laryngospasm with the emphasis on the different prevention and treatment modalities.

Pediatric laryngospasm

Pediatric laryngospasm is an anesthetic emergency. It is a relatively common phenomenon that occurs with varying frequency dependent on multiple factors. In view of this and the clear risks to the patient when it occurs, a consensus committee has been established to determine the evidence based management of this condition. This article will cover the definition, causes and recognition of laryngospasm and the evidence behind a proposed algorithm for its' management.

Neuronal activation in the medulla oblongata during selective elicitation of the laryngeal adductor response

Swallow and cough are complex motor patterns elicited by rapid and intense electrical stimulation of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (ISLN). The laryngeal adductor response (LAR) includes only a laryngeal response, is elicited by single stimuli to the ISLN, and is thought to represent the brain stem pathway involved in laryngospasm. To identify which regions in the medulla are activated during elicitation of the LAR alone, single electrical stimuli were presented once every 2 s to the ISLN. Two groups of five cats each were studied; an experimental group with unilateral ISLN stimulation at 0.5 Hz and a surgical control group. Three additional cats were studied to evaluate whether other oral, pharyngeal, or respiratory muscles were activated during ISLN stimulation eliciting LAR. We quantified < or = 22 sections for each of 14 structures in the medulla to determine if regions had increased Fos-like immunoreactive neurons in the experimental group. Significant increases (P < 0.0033) occurred with unilateral ISLN stimulation in the interstitial subnucleus, the ventrolateral subnucleus, the commissural subnucleus of the nucleus tractus solitarius, the lateral tegmental field of the reticular formation, the area postrema, and the nucleus ambiguus. Neither the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, usually active for swallow, nor the nucleus retroambiguus, retrofacial nucleus, and the lateral reticular nucleus, usually active for cough, were active with elicitation of the laryngeal adductor response alone. The results demonstrate that the laryngeal adductor pathway is contained within the broader pathways for cough and swallow in the medulla.