Abstract:
Background: Laryngospasm is a reflex that causes the upper airway to close due to a spasm in
the glottis muscles, potentially leading to breathing difficulties. Anesthesia for cleft surgery in
children is associated with a variety of airway related problems, with laryngospasm being
particularly prominent. However, despite its clinical significance in cleft lip and palate, there is a
notable lack of research in our country on the incidence and the factors associated with its
occurrence.
Objective: To determine incidence and associated factors of laryngospasm in pediatric patients
undergoing cleft lip and palate repair in in Jimma University Medical Centre, Jimma, Ethiopia,
from October to January 2024.
Method: A institutional based cross sectional study was conducted at JUCSH, involving 88
consecutively selected patients undergoing elective cleft lip and palate repair. Data were collected
using structured questionnaires by electronic questioner (kobotool box), entered into Epi-data
version 4.1, and analyzed in SPSS version 27. With Levene’s test homogeneity was checked, and
the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test assessed normality. A binary logistic regression model was used to
identify associated factors.
Result: The incidence of laryngospasm among cleft lip and palate in this study is 19.3% (95%CI:
11.7-29.1). In this study, the significant risk factor are secondary repair surgery 14.5 times more
likely to experience to those of primary repair(AOR = 14.5, 95% CI: 2.80–75.3), presence of an
upper respiratory tract infection within two weeks before surgery increased the risk by 5.15 times
(AOR = 5.15, 95% CI: 1.11–23.9), Difficulty in intubation was associated with a 14.5 times higher
likelihood of laryngospasm (AOR = 14.5, 95% CI: 2.80–75.3) and the use of a suction device
during light anesthesia significantly raised the risk by 9.39 times (AOR = 9.39, 95% CI: 1.51
58.3).
Conclusion: The incidence of perioperative pediatric laryngospasm during cleft lip and palate
repair is significant, particularly in emergencies phases. Risk factors include recent upper
respiratory infections, difficult intubation, secondary repair and suction use during light
anesthesia.
