Postoperative apnea in preterm infants after inguinal hermiorraphy

Preterm infants may become apneic during immediate postoperative period. We studied prospectively postoperative apneic attack in 167 preterm infants after inguinal herniorraphy with nitrous oxide-halothane anesthesia. Their mean gestational age was 30 ± 3 weeks. The mean postnatal age at operation was 14 weeks. The postconceptual age varied between 36 and 56 weeks. The mean birth weight was 1351 ± 395 kg. Although many of them had a risk factor of postoperative apneic attack, i.e.a young postconceptual age (less than 41 weeks), a light weight at operation (below 3000 g), only one infant who had received emergency operation had an episode of apneic attack up to 2 postoperative days. For preventing postoperative apneic attack in preterm infants after inguineal hernia, we recommend the use of halothane anesthesia and the attention until a complete awakening.