[Atelectasis after induction of general anesthesia in an infant with cleft palate].

We report an infant with cleft palate who developed atelectasis as a result of aspiration of food residue after induction of general anesthesia. A 12-month-old girl with cleft palate was scheduled for palatoplasty. The trachea was intubated after 6.5-hour fasting. Breath sounds were not audible on the left. Chest X-ray demonstrated complete atelectasis of the left lung. Bronchoscopy revealed that the left primary bronchus was blocked by a white stick. Pathological examination showed that the white stick consisted of milk residue with abundant candida species. It was speculated that the milk residue accumulated in the cleft palate had been aspirated during induction of general anesthesia.