Marked anterior displacement of the trachea and larynx from an esophageal obturator airway (EOA).
A 67-year-old man suffering cardiopulmonary arrest had an apparently uneventful placement of an esophageal obturator airway (EOA) by a well-trained ambulance crew. Subsequent clinical evaluation showed ventilation to be marginal. Attempts to insert an endotracheal tube were unsuccessful because the larynx could not be visualized. A subsequent postmortem examination showed that the EOA tube was kinked and bent back on itself so that the distal (balloon) end lay underneath the larynx, displacing it anteriorly.
D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004868:Equipment Failure; D004947:Esophagus; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male