Publication at Second Faculty of Medicine |
2013
Abstract
During routine anaesthesia the incidence of difficult tracheal intubation has been estimated at 3-18 %. Difficulties in intubation have been associated with serious complications, particularly when failed intubation has occurred.
Occasionally in a patient with a difficult airway, the anaesthetist is faced with a situation where mask ventilation proves difficult or impossible. This is one of the most critical emergencies that may be faced in the practice of anaesthesia.
If the anaesthetist can predict which patients are likely to prove difficult to intubate, he/she may reduce the risk of anaesthesia considerably. These case reports depict possible ways to avoid fatal complications.