Anaesthetic concerns of a child with symptomatic vitamin D deficiency rickets with secondary hyperparathyroidism: A case report

Rickets is a paediatric bone disorder characterised by defective mineralisation of bony matrix due to abnormalities in calcium and phosphate metabolism. Despite being a common disease globally, literature on the anaesthetic concerns in rickets are scant. Herein, we describe the management of a 12-year-old child with symptomatic vitamin D deficiency rickets with secondary hyperparathyroidism, undergoing general anaesthesia for an urgent orthopaedic procedure. There are numerous risks involved in such a case, such as hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, chest and vertebral deformities, restrictive lung disease, difficult intubation and weaning, difficult regional anaesthesia, chronic bone pain, infectious complications and postoperative decreased renal function, all of which require careful preoperative assessment and risk stratification. In elective surgeries, it is important to optimise the metabolic parameters before taking up the case. However, in urgent and emergent procedures like ours, it is imperative to take up the case after informing the parents of the risks involved.