Congenital malformations of the orofacial area are the most common congenital malformations in children with an incidence of 1.8 children with orofacial cleft per 1000 healthy births in the Czech Republic. The care of children with cleft facial defects is multidisciplinary, centralized and takes place from birth to adulthood. At the University Hospital Brno, the treatment for patients with orofacial cleft is provided by the Cleft Center (CC) of the University Hospital Brno. The main specialties that form the basis of CC include plastic surgery, pediatric anesthesiology and neonatology. Patients with facial cleft defects are divided into 2 main groups based on the embryological causes of clefts: 1/ patients with cleft lip, jaw with or without cleft palate (total cleft) and 2/ patients with isolated cleft soft and hard palate. Anesthesia in children with orofacial clefts is specific not only to the age of the patients, but mainly to the cleft itself. Anesthesiology management, and especially intubation of these patients, are often difficult due to the nature of the defect with high incidence of complications such as difficult airway, desaturation, laryngospasm or bradycardia. In addition, tissue damage including soft tissue of the lip, alveolar arch, palate and nasal septum as well as skeleton of the premaxilla and nasal septum during intubation is seen in approximately 90% of patients. To facilitate intubation, improve anesthesiology management and safety of pediatric patients with orofacial cleft, we will develop an individualized protective tray from a silicone material, that will be used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate. A mold for casting of a protective tray, will be created on a 3D printer on bases of 3D scan. Use of the protective tray would facilitate intubation, decrease anesthesiologic complications and protect soft and hard tissues of the cleft palate and upper jaw during intubation.
Pediatric patients with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and alveolus (U/BCLA) or unilateral or bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate (total cleft; U/BCLAP) who underwent primary lip reconstruction within 0-3 months of age (most often at our workplace in the neonatal period)
Pediatric patients with isolated cleft palate (ICP) and patients with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate (U/BCLAP) who underwent primary cleft reconstruction between 6 and 18 months of age.
unilateral or bilateral cleft lip without cleft alveolus
patients with genetically confirmed syndrome disability
orofacial cleft patients with associated congenital malformations that may affect the course of anesthesia (atresia of the choanae)
patients with atypical clefts of the face
Parallel
3D obturator
DeviceBased on this 3D visualization of precise anatomical conditions in the oral cavity, a form (negative unique impression of the upper jaw and palato-alveolar conditions) for casting of a protective obturator (splint), used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate will be created on a 3D printer
Degree of oral tissue injury during intubation
specifically presence of petechiae, bleeding or soft tissue swelling after intubation in the entire cleft defect area, possibly premaxilla fracture in total cleft patients as a result of manipulation of the laryngoscope in the oral cavity
Cormack-Lehane score
evaluation of the laryngoscopic image during intubation evaluated by the Cormack-Lehane score with or without the use of the protective tray. Cormack-Lehane scale range from 1 (ideal view - vocal cords) to 4 (the worst view of aditus laryngis, only the soft palate visible). For proper archiving of the intubation process, a photodocumentation of the laryngoscopic image during intubation will be taken for each patient using a video laryngoscope.
Number of intubations attempts
The number of intubation attempts to secure the airways (first successful intubation = first wave of end-tidal CO2) with and without the use of the protective tray will be evaluated
Incidence of associated complications
The incidence of associated complications during induction of anesthesia - laryngospasm, bradycardia, severe desaturation \< 80 % oxygen saturation oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry pulse oximetry - SpO2 will be assessed
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Brno University Hospital
Lead sponsor
Brno University of Technology
Collaborator
Masaryk University
Collaborator
