Children with the flu: Should I stay or should I go?

A child with a cold is probably one of the biggest challenges in paediatric anaesthesia. Indeed, the frequency of this event before the surgery, the diversity of symptoms, the risk of perioperative complications and the organisational and human issues resulting from the decision to cancel the intervention make the management of these patients very delicate because of the association of a medical decision and emotional considerations. Although the question of whether to perform anaesthesia or not in a context of upper airway infection remains unresolved, it seems that this practice is homogeneous in France. If the decision to perform anaesthesia is taken, the knowledge of the appropriate perioperative management is very important.