Difficult intubation of a child through laryngeal mask airway with two tracheal tubes.
Difficult tracheal intubation occurs infrequently. It is estimated that difficult laryngoscopy occurs in 1-2% of patients. Tracheal intubation of especially small infants can be challenging. When faced with a difficult airway, intubation through a laryngeal mask airway is one method of obtaining a secure airway. Here, we report a 23-mo-old girl with chronic lung disease and severe pneumonia, who was admitted to our paediatric intensive care unit. Since the patient could not be intubated by the standard method, because her larynx was up and forward, she was intubated successfully with a laryngeal mask airway through which two consecutive tracheal tubes were inserted.


CONCLUSIONS
Laryngeal mask airway has an important role as a back-up device in case direct visualization of the larynx is not possible.
Kendirli
Tanil
T
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. tanilkendirli@hotmail.com
Ince
Erdal
E
Kavaz
Asli
A
Ciftçi
Ergin
E
Alanoğlu
Zekeriya
Z
Doğru
Ulker
U
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy