Factors to Consider When Treating Pediatric Airway Reconstruction

Can a multidisciplinary and international consensus be reached on the factors affecting outcomes and complications for pediatric airway reconstruction?

Bottom Line:
The list provides a framework for communication and clarifies expert opinion on which patient, disease, procedural, and outcome measures may be important to consider in any pediatric airway reconstruction patient.

Background: Historical measures of success on open airway reconstructive procedures, based primarily on the ability to maintain a patent airway or to decannulate a patient following surgery, have shifted over time, and despite an improved understanding of complex airway reconstruction and the long-term results of our interventions, outcome measures following laryngeal and tracheal surgery have become progressively more disparate.

Study design: Thirty-three pediatric airway experts recruited between June 2016 and October 2017 from eight countries in North and South America, Europe, and Australia, representing otolaryngology, pulmonology, general surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery.