You're giving anaesthesia for the foreign body removal of a child. General anaesthesia is being maintained on spontaneous ventilation with sevoflurane and oxygen. A rigid bronchoscope is being used. After multiple attempts at removal of the foreign body, you suddenly find that the child is having severe bradycardia and heart rate has come down very low... What could be the cause?
Hypercarbia Vago vagal effect Hypoxia Light anaesthesia Ans. Hypoxia. Bradycardia during bronchoscopy should be always assumed to be due to hypoxia unless proved otherwise. Suctioning during the bronchoscope procedure is usually the cause. Rarely foreign body itself can further move to the wrong location causing severe obstruction to ventilation.
