Anesthetic Management of Inguinal Hernia Surgery Using a Second-Generation Supraglottic Airway in a Patient With Trisomy 18: A Case Report

Children with trisomy 18 have abnormal airway anatomy, making their airway management challenging. Only a few papers have comprehensively described and discussed the use of supraglottic airway devices in patients with trisomy 18. We present a case of a 20-month-old boy with trisomy 18 who was scheduled for open repair of the right inguinal hernia. He had micrognathia, a short neck, and an atrial septal defect but was in a clinically stable condition. A supraglottic airway device was inserted under general anesthesia. The patient’s respiration was maintained by pressure support ventilation with spontaneous breathing. A right ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block was performed for perioperative analgesia. The surgery ended without complications. After removing the supraglottic airway device and ensuring proper respiratory parameters, the patient was transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit. In our case, supraglottic airway devices could be effectively used as a primary airway for inguinal hernia repair. The concomitant ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block was helpful for anesthetic management with spontaneous breathing maintained using pressure support ventilation. A supraglottic airway device may be a potential alternative as a primary airway for superficial surgery in pediatric patients with trisomy 18. For pediatric patients with difficult airways, a second-generation supraglottic airway device with the insertion of a gastric tube to prevent gastric insufflation combining pressure support ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure may be a beneficial choice for the maintenance of spontaneous breathing.