[Postoperative apnea in preterm infants after inguinal herniorrhaphy].

Preterm infants may become apneic during immediate postoperative period. We studied prospectively postoperative apneic attack in 167 preterm infants after inguinal herniorrhaphy with nitrous oxide-halothane anesthesia. Their mean gestational age was 30 +/- 3 weeks. The mean postnatal age at operation was 14 weeks. The post-conceptual 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 post-conceptual age (less than 41 weeks), a light weight at operation (below 3000g), 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 inguinal hernia, we recommend the use of halothane anesthesia and the attention until a complete awakening.