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Airway management of a patient with tracheal stenosis for surgery in the prone position

[Contrôle des voies aériennes pour une intervention chirurgicale en décubitus ventral chez un patient avec sténose trachéale]

From the Department of Anesthesiology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Takashi Asai, Department of Anesthesiology, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizono-cho, Moriguchi City, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan. Phone: 0081-6-6992-1001; Fax: 0081-6-6991-1301; E-mail: asait{at}takii.kmu.ac.jp

Purpose: When tracheal intubation is required in a patient with an uncollapsible tracheal stenosis, the tip of the tube is usually positioned proximal to the stenosis. Only the tip of the tube may be in the trachea and the tube can be dislodged. We report the successful airway management of a patient with an uncollapsible tracheal stenosis who underwent cranial surgery in the prone position.

Clinical features: A 49-yr-old man with the saber-sheath trachea (stenosis of the entire intrathoracic trachea) was scheduled for a posterior fossa surgery for resection of a cerebellar tumour. Anesthesia was induced by allowing the patient to inhale spontaneously oxygen and increasing concentrations of sevoflurane up to 5%, without airway obstruction. After injection of vecuronium, an airway exchange catheter was inserted orally into the trachea. A laryngeal mask airway was then inserted with the exchange catheter in place and, with the aid of a fibrescope, a 6.0-mm reinforced tracheal tube was passed through the laryngeal mask into the trachea so that the tip of the tube was about 1 cm proximal to the stenosis. The patient was turned to the prone position and the operation proceeded uneventfully.

Conclusions: The laryngeal mask and an airway exchange catheter were used as backups to tracheal intubation in this patient with tracheal stenosis in the prone position. Should the trachea be extubated accidentally, it may be re-intubated through the laryngeal mask and ventilation may be possible through the laryngeal mask or the exchange catheter.

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