Preoperative salbutamol reduces perioperative respiratory complications for children undergoing tonsillectomy

Pre-operative salbutamol to reduce rates of perioperative respiratory adverse events children undergoing anaesthesia for tonsillectomy? The results of a recent randomized clinical trial suggest so. Laryngospasm, coughing, and oxygen desaturation each occurred significantly more often in the placebo group. 484 children aged 0 to 8 years who underwent anaesthesia for tonsillectomy were randomly allocated to receive either salbutamol (2 actuations, 200 μg) or placebo before surgery. Perioperative respiratory adverse events occurred in 67 of 241 children (27.8%) who received salbutamol and 114 of 238 children (47.9%) who were allocated to the placebo arm. After adjusting for age, type of airway device, and severity of obstructive sleep apnea in a binary logistic regression model, the likelihood of perioperative respiratory adverse events remained significantly higher in the placebo group. The researchers suggest that premedication with salbutamol should be considered for children undergoing tonsillectomy. Further details are available here