Taste and Smell Alterations in a Child after General Anesthesia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Yongsheng Qiu, Wen Jin and Yingping Jia

Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children’s Hospital, Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital, China

^*Correspondance to: Yongsheng Qiu 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.2628

Abstract

Rationale: Postoperative ageusia and anosmia is a rare disease. The pathogenesis remains unknown. Here we report a child with taste and smell Alterations after general anesthesia. Patient Concerns: We present a patient who is a 12-year-old boy; he underwent bilateral tonsillectomy because of suffering from chronic tonsillitis, who received a propofol-based general anesthesia. At the second day after the operation, the patient began to develop symptoms of olfactory and taste dysfunction. The patient's sense of taste has basically recovered at four weeks after surgery, which can distinguish sour and sweet bitter salty. Diagnoses: Simultaneous taste and odor changes after general anesthesia indicate a drug-induced response. Overall evidence suggests that anesthetics cause postoperative ageusia and anosmia. Interventions: Regular follow-up after discharge is recommended. Outcomes: The taste and olfaction returned to normal after 4 weeks. Lessons: The anesthesiologist should fully take the possibility of loss of taste and smell into account during anesthesia. Propofol can inhibits smell and taste pathways by stimulating the inhibitory GABAA receptor in the central nervous system. Avoid excessive air filling into the laryngeal mask or a short period of surgical avoidance of the laryngeal mask; these measures will help reduce the risk of loss of taste and smell.

Keywords

General anesthesia; Child; Ageusia; Anosmia

Cite the article

Qiu Y, Jin W, Jia Y. Taste and Smell Alterations in a Child after General Anesthesia: A Case Report and Literature Review. Clin Surg. 2019; 4: 2628.