The Role of Dexmedetomidine in Airway Management for Tracheostomy in Pediatric Patient with Obstructed Airway Due to Diphtheria: A Case Report

 Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by exotoxin-producing Corynebacterium diphteriae and was a leading cause of death in childhood during the prevaccine era. This toxin is usually localized in the upper respiratory tract and may cause fatal airway obstruction. Many have used orotracheal intubation to secure the airway in diphtheria cases. However, the efficacy of tracheostomy under sedation while maintaining spontaneous ventilation and analgesia using trans-tracheal and superficial cervical block remains to be elucidated.

 A 6-year-old presented to the emergency room with respiratory distress and was diagnosed with diphtheria. A thick membrane in the oropharyngeal area and chest X-ray showed infiltrations indicative of pneumonia. The patient successfully underwent emergency tracheostomy under sedation using a combination of sevoflurane and dexmedetomidine to achieve prompt sedation and trans-tracheal injection and bilateral superficial cervical block as analgesia for the intra-tracheal and the incision. The patient’s condition deteriorated the next day, and the bronchoscopy showed that the carina and main bronchus were covered by a pseudomembrane, obstructing the airway below the tracheostomy. The patient eventually died two days after admission.

 Dexmedetomidine has minimal impact on ventilatory function and anti-sialagogue properties, while sevoflurane has minimal effect on respiratory depression. This case presentation showed that a combination of sevoflurane and dexmedetomidine with spontaneous assisted ventilation could be helpful in tracheostomy procedures in pediatric patients with airway obstruction due to diphtheria, along with the use of trans-tracheal and superficial cervical block as the analgesia. This report also indicates that being vigilant in rapidly-progressing and fatal pediatric diphtheria cases is vital.