The child with a runny nose! Upper respiratory tract infection in children : impact on anaesthesia : paediatric anaesthesia

Some children have on average of six upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) per annum. There are strongly held opinions about the management of these children when they may present for surgery. Anaesthesia practice varies widely and is often based on anecdotal experience. This brief review offers guidelines to address this problem based on some of the recent literature.