In this episode, Dr. Sohit Kanotra, director of UCLA’s Complex Pediatric Airway Program, discusses open airway surgery in children with host Dr. Gopi Shah.

First, the surgeons review the presentation of pediatric airway stenosis, which causes stridor in younger children and exercise intolerance in older ones. Drawing on his experience at UCLA, Dr. Kanotra addresses how to build a pediatric airway program, emphasizing the importance of relationships with the NICU and PICU. He advises airway surgeons to coordinate with these units to share protocols, organize conferences, and assist with bedside swallow assessments. Then, the discussion transitions to pre-operative evaluation of and contemporary strategies in pediatric airway reconstruction. Dr. Kanotra shares pearls for surgical planning, operative technique, and post-operative management. The episode concludes with Dr. Kanotra’s high-level advice to fellow pediatric airway surgeons.

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SHOW NOTES

00:00 - Introduction

03:03 - Building UCLA’s Complex Airway Program

09:37 - Decision-Making in Pediatric Open Airway Surgery

20:10 - Pediatric Airway Surgery: A Multidisciplinary Effort

32:24 - Preoperative Assessment for Open Airway Surgery

38:16 - Evaluating the Airway: Techniques & Tools

39:34 - Planning for Open Airway Surgery

40:15 - Understanding Expansion & Resection Procedures

56:58 - Using Release Maneuvers in Pediatric Open Airway Surgery

01:00:29 - Post-operative Management and Follow-up

01:06:33 - Concluding Thoughts & Pearls

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RESOURCES

Dr. Sohit Kanotra’s UCLA Profile

https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/sohit-kanotra