CS#19 Use of the nasotracheal Airtraq to assist difficult nasal fibreoptic intubation

European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2009, 26:000–000 King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and bAl Corniche Hospital , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  

The purpose of this observational study was to assess the effect of cricoid pressure on the ease and time for successful intubation using the Airtraq optical laryngoscope to 10 consecutive pregnant patients.
Once consciousness was lost, double-handed cricoid pressure was applied by another anaesthesiologist with the head and neck in the optimal intubating position and maintained until the airway was secured using a tracheal tube.
The trachea for all parturients was successfully intubated at the first attempt without the need for any external manipulation. In the presence of cricoid pressure using the Airtraq, the mean duration of intubation was 25.8 s, which is markedly shorter than using Macintoch laryngoscopy in our previous report [6].

  Download CS#19