[Two patients with CICV (cannot intubate cannot ventilate) rescued by cricothyrotomy].
The first case was a 69-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing posterior occipito-cervical fusion. Although the operation was successfully performed, airway obstruction developed immediately after extubation. Her upper airway obstruction probably came from pharyngolaryngeal edema. The second case was a 59-year-old man with diabetes mellitus undergoing anterior cervical fusion. The day of surgery, he complained of dyspnea and his neck was swollen with hematoma. We used cricothyrotomy tubes (Mini-Trach II) in these two patients with postoperative upper airway obstruction and performed assist-ventilation via the tube. After starting ventilation through Mini-Trach II, we succeeded in intubation. We belive that cricothyrotomy in well-trained hands can be used safely for the management of the patient with a difficult airway.
Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Osaka 553-0003.
Kuniko
K
Morishima
Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Osaka 553-0003.
Satoshi
S
Kurita
Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Osaka 553-0003.
Yoshihiro
Y
Yamama
Department of Anesthesia, Osaka Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Osaka 553-0003.
Keiji
K
Nakatani
D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D003413:Cricoid Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*