title: When fiberoptic intubation fails in patients with unstable craniovertebral junctions.
abstract: Fiberoptic intubation (FOI) is generally regarded as the preferred method to achieve endotracheal intubation in patients with cervical spine instability. When performed electively, FOI has a very high level of success. Nevertheless, rarely, FOI may fail. Recently, using the fiberoptic scope to obtain a view of the glottis, with the endotracheal tube being inserted independently, guided by the fiberoptic view has been described. In this report, we describe our experience with a variation of this technique in both adults and children with occipito-cervical instabilities in whom FOI failed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroanesthesia, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. mazen-maktabi@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Mazen A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maktabi
authors.forename: Sarah S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Titler
authors.forename: Shivani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadakia
authors.forename: Ryan K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Conway
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001269:Atlanto-Occipital Joint / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005931:Glottis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods*; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055100:Optical Fibers