Unanticipated difficult airway still forms about 93% of the total number of difficult airway scenarios encountered. Difficult airway can be due to difficulty in mask ventilation, difficult laryngoscopy or difficulty in intubation. Difficult intubation can be due to a number of causes. Pathologies like enlarged lingual tonsil, valecular or epiglottic cysts, laryngeal papillomas, hyperplastic mucosal folds, oropharyngeal stenosis lead to difficulty visualizing the larynx. Tracheal stenosis, laryngeal webs, tumors of the larynx, airway trauma and undetected mediastinal masses lead to difficulty in advancing the endotracheal tube. Management of these cases is always challenging. Although a thorough history that includes previous endotracheal intubation, weight changes, episodes of dyspnea or wheeze may help identify at risk patients, very often these patients may be asymptomatic and the pathology may not be until the time of laryngoscopy and intubation. At the time of unanticipated crisis, following the stepwise protocol of difficult airway and being prepared for surgical airway access can prevent complications and save the life of the patient. Here we present two such cases of unanticipated difficult airway how we managed them. Post-operatively these patients were found to have laryngeal webs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.