title: Emergency intubation with the Combitube in a grossly obese patient with bull neck.
abstract: A grossly obese patient with bull neck required immediate intubation. Endotracheal intubation failed because visualization of the vocal cords was not possible. As an alternative, the Combitube was inserted without difficulty and the patients lungs were ventilated via the Combitube until tracheotomy was performed on the following day. The patient survived and was discharged alive from the hospital 5 weeks later. The Combitube has gained worldwide interest and is now included in the Guidelines of the American Heart Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banyai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Falger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Röggla
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Staudinger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klauser
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller-Spoljaritsch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vychytil
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erlacher
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sterz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004630:Emergencies; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009333:Neck; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy