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Patients undergoing ear nose and throat (ENT, otorhinolaryngeal) surgery probably present more airway management challenges than any other branch of surgery. ENT procedures encompass a range of operations varying in duration, severity and complexity from simple short cases such as myringotomy, through to complex resection and reconstructive surgeries for head and neck cancer. In all cases the surgical team operates close to the airway and in many within the airway, which is therefore shared with the anaesthetist. In this chapter, the authors discuss in some depth these challenges and how to address them, airway management and ventilation options and strategies including but not limited to awake intubation, different subtypes of jet ventilation, and high flow nasal oxygenation as well recent advances in the field. They further discuss extubation strategies and controversies as well as a plan to manage commonly encountered complications such as bleeding in the airway. For a successful outcome, these ‘shared airway’ procedures require close communication and cooperation between anaesthetist and surgeon, an understanding of each other’s challenges, knowledge of specialist equipment, and a thorough preoperative evaluation to identify potential risk factors for poor perioperative outcomes.
The incidence of difficult airway is higher in patients undergoing ENT surgery and, specifically, in patients undergoing ENT cancer surgery. Even the process of topicalization with local anesthetic can precipitate loss of the airway, as can some of the complications associated with awake intubation (e.g. airway bleeding and laryngospasm). The preoperative interview should also address the possibility of events having occurred since the last anesthetic such as weight gain, laryngeal stenosis from previous airway intervention, airway radiation, facial cosmetic surgery, and worsening temporomandibular joint disorder or rheumatoid arthritis. Prior to awake intubation, premedication is commonly used to reduce secretions, enable adequate topicalization of the airway, reduce the risk of epistaxis, and protect against the risk of aspiration. Depending on the clinical circumstance, intravenous sedation may be useful in allowing the patient to tolerate awake intubation by providing anxiolysis, amnesia, and analgesia.
This chapter highlights a technique of airway evaluation which is readily available to the anesthesiologist, is minimally invasive, and may provide enough information to reduce the use of awake intubation by providing improved clinical information. Preoperative endoscopic airway examination (PEAE), uses the commonly available flexible intubation scope, and unlike use of the same instrument for awake intubation, requires minimal time and patient preparation because it is well tolerated by patients, mimicking an ordinary office ENT laryngoscopic examination. Patients presenting to the operating room under the care of an otolaryngologist for management (diagnostic or therapeutic) of an airway lesions have, in most cases, undergone a flexible endoscopy in the surgeon's office. PEAE may be performed in the preoperative clinic setting, holding area or operating room. Patients who present with invisible airway pathology (e.g. papillomas, supraglottic masses), which may compromise the clinician's ability to control the airway, can be more thoroughly assessed.
Airway anatomy and physiology are altered in obesity, and an understanding of these changes is key to appropriate airway management. Longitudinal studies of pulmonary function have shown reduction in pulmonary tests with obesity. The functional residual capacity (FRC) is reduced by the conduct of general anaesthesia. In the obese, the resting metabolic rate, oxygen consumption and also carbon dioxide production are all increased, compounding the reduction in FRC. In addition to acting as an oxygen store, FRC is important in splinting small airways. Respiratory mechanics are affected even in moderate obesity. Prediction of difficulty: Mallampati score and neck circumference are better predictors than body mass index (BMI) and a history of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but their predictive value is not strong. Difficult mask ventilation and difficult intubation are uncommon. Awake intubation is worthwhile if difficulty is expected, because of the rapid desaturation problem.
Reports of anesthesia-related deaths in obstetric practice point to difficulties with airway management in morbid obesity (MO) parturients as the primary cause. A large proportion of patients recruited for airway studies in MO are recruited from bariatric surgical populations, which typically exhibit a large preponderance of female patients. Numerous anatomic factors contribute to difficult airway management in the MO patient. This chapter presents options for airways management in an order that reflects their application in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Difficult Airway Algorithm. Awake intubation maintains airway patency and spontaneous respiration, but is not without hazard in this difficult patient group. Flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy is the most common technique chosen for awake intubation, but visualization may be difficult when excess fat deposition results in airway narrowing and redundant folds of tissue. Equal care and equipment should be available for extubation as well as intubation.
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