Stridor causing respiratory failure is an ENT and anaesthetic emergency requiring prompt management to secure a clear airway. We describe a case of subacute partial upper airway obstruction due to a large laryngeal carcinoma in an 81-year-old male resulting in respiratory failure. The patient became apnoeic after gaseous induction of general anaesthesia, and after two failed intubation attempts an emergency transtracheal airway catheter was placed by the surgeon under direct vision below the cricothyroid membrane, as this had tumour involvement. The patient was subsequently manually jet-ventilated with ease until a formal tracheostomy was made. Where difficulties with tracheal anatomy are encountered due to the presence of pathology, the insertion of a temporary airway catheter for jet ventilation by the surgeon can buy valuable time and be life-saving.

We present a case of a patient submitted for extirpation of a neoplasm of the larynx, by means of carbon dioxide laser surgery. High frequency jet ventilation was applied by means of orotracheal intubation with two Teflon catheters, 2mm in external diameter and 30cm in length, attached with three equally placed strips of adhesive paper tape. One catheter was used to inject the jet volume and the other used to measure the airway pressure. The adhesive strips were moistened and FiO2 was lower than 50%. After 30 min using the laser, an airway fire was noticed. Ventilation was interrupted and the catheters were removed. The patient was reintubated with an endotracheal tube of 6mm ID and the surgical procedure was continued until the tumour was removed. Two factors contributed to the airway fire: the ignition of the lowest adhesive strip that had dried and the use of the laser in the mode of continuous pulsation.

A case of pneumopericardium, without concomitant pneumothorax, resulting from high frequency jet ventilation during laser surgery of the hypopharynx is described. The patient, a four-year-old boy, suffered cardiac arrest as a consequence of the incident. The pneumopericardium was likely to have been caused by obstruction to the expiratory flow during surgery. Other possible explanations for the incident are discussed.