Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGERY, ss.98-102, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: Cleft lip and palate (CLCP ) surgeries necessitate precise airway man - agement, especially in pediatric cases with anatomical variations. The Covid -19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to anesthesiology practices that required adaptations to en - sure patient safety and minimize viral transmission. Videolaryngoscopy (VL ) emerged as a va - luable tool in airway management during the pandemic, offering improved intubation success rates and reduced aerosol generation risks. Methods: This retrospective study compared anesthesiology practices in CLCP surgeries before (2015-2019 ) and during the Covid -19 (2019-2022 ) pandemic at a tertiary care center. Patient demographics, anesthesia techniques, intubation difficulty, airway management, and in - traoperative and postoperative follow -up were analyzed from anesthesia records. Results: This study included 1282 cases. Demographics were similar between periods. During the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the number of patients under one year old (p < 0.001 ) and a higher prevalence of micrognathia and comorbidities (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively ). Difficult intubation and intraoperative complication rates decreased during the pandemic, but they were not statistically significant. VL usage during the pandemic contributed to improved extubating success (p < 0.001 ). Conclusions: VL usage and improved patient outcomes were observed during the pandemic, potentially due to proactive measures and infection control protocols. Decision -making pro - cesses for extubation and intensive care unit stay became crucial during the pandemic. Understanding the role of VL and its adaptations during the Covid -19 pandemic is vital for optimizing perioperative care in CLCP surgeries and other procedures requiring airway management. The findings highlight the resilience of healthcare systems and the importance of evidence -based practices under challenging circumstances.