Anesthetic management of a child with hemifacial microstomia and frontonasal encephalocele can be challenging due to factors such as a difficult airway, associated systemic conditions, young age, and prolonged operating time. Hereby, we outline the intraoperative management of a 3-year-old child undergoing repair of multiple defects requiring multidisciplinary involvement of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and anesthesia team. In our case, a size 0 mask and hyper-angulated D-blade video laryngoscopy were used to prevent sac compression and facilitate intubation. Blood conservation strategies included tranexamic acid, precise fluid management, and maintenance of normothermia. Extubation was carefully planned, considering blood loss and airway edema, and performed when the child was fully awake, ensuring a stable postoperative period and successful recovery. This report emphasizes the importance of meticulous preoperative assessment, readiness for a challenging airway, efficient management of intraoperative blood loss, and the value of teamwork.

Article published online:
29 October 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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